Uniquely for a post-apocalyptic drama, Conor Horgan’s debut film One Hundred Mornings avoids the usual shots of burning, corpse-filled cities, and is instead set in a beautifully shot rural cabin, where two young couples are residing. Separated from the physical evidence of an undisclosed disaster, the foursome desperately tries to maintain ordinary activity, despite the terrifyingly extraordinary reality. Continuing to set their table for their increasingly diminutive meals, and deferring to the essentially powerless Gardaí, the couples cling to their rituals like a life-raft of hope.
But as marauders steal their supplies, the Gardaí become corrupt and an affair threatens the stability of the household, the tension grows, and it’s clear that it may not be the unnamed disaster that destroys the group, but the people around them.
This threat is highlighted by the dichotomy between the young people and their older neighbour (Robert O’Mahony.) As he easily embraces his ruthless survival instinct, it’s unclear whether this discrepancy is because he’s more able to cope with harsh circumstance than the Celtic tiger cubs, or merely because it’s easier to abandon civilised behaviour when it’s not being enforced by community. In a post-apocalyptic world, does morality prove our humanity, or is it a luxury that can’t be indulged if humanity is to survive?
It’s an intriguing question, and One Hundred Mornings remains thought-provoking throughout. But it’s not without its flaws. The script is incredibly sparse, and offers no information about the characters’ lives before the calamity, so they remain underdeveloped and unlikeable. As the steely Hannah and philandering Jonathan, Alex Reid and Ciarán McMenamin put in solid if uninspired performances, but their co-stars remain forgettable, and the slow-burning pace of the film can feel lethargic. Horgan may recognise that people are now so easily bored they’ll seek out extra-marital affairs at the end of the world, but he apparently isn’t pandering to them.
But if you can sit still for 85 minutes, you’ll be rewarded with a very impressive Irish feature – no zombies required.