Not with a bang, but a whimper—that’s the way of the soft apocalypse. Things have fallen apart. The center didn’t hold. And now, through no one’s fault in particular, the comforts and security of an organized society are in the process of evaporating. The postapocalyptic genre operates like a western in reverse: Rather than civilization coming up against wildness, it depicts wildness descending on civilization. But the rules work the same—the only law is what you can carve out by force or cunning or confederation. And it’ll never be easy.
It Comes at Night tells the story of Paul (Joel Edgerton), who lives in a secluded woodland house with his wife (Carmen Ejogo) and teenage son (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). The world is sick—probably dying. An unnamed plague, fatal and incurable, has fragmented what we can see of society. Food, gas, and ammunition are in short supply, and bands of violent men prowl the roads. Every foray into the outside world carries the threat of contamination. Paul and his family must defend themselves from these threats and ensure they have enough supplies to last… a while. It doesn’t seem like any cavalry is coming to the rescue.