Portraits Of The Apocalypse (Streaming)
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“The film depicts a Buenos Aires overrun by zombies through four intertwined stories, exploring the outbreak's confusion, ensuing chaos, and humanity's fight to endure the impossible.”
Very late in the run of AMC’s zombie-friendly juggernaut The Walking Dead, producers put their head together in trying to figure out alternative ways to keep their franchise afloat. From what I recall, their flagship series – The Walking Dead – was winding down; and the first spin-off – Fear The Walking Dead – was still lumbering along though not quite enjoying the same ratings the originating program had at its cultural zenith. The network suits were ready and willing to invest in continued programming; but they – like the showrunners – believed that only by going in some different creative direction might the franchise recover some of the luster it had lost along the way.
One of the short-lived efforts was an anthology format: Tales Of The Walking Dead looked to explore several stand-alone stories tied to the wide, wide universe of television zombies but would showcase independent yarns of other survivors not already featured in any of the shows that had come before. The idea was that storytellers could use this established universe as a backdrop, and the hope was that perhaps audiences would be drawn back into the property with entirely fresh perspectives emerging from these unknown faces. Alas, the experiment didn’t quite work; but those of us who turned in – I was among them – were given something both familiar and uniquely all its own … and that’s mostly what one gets with 2024’s Portraits Of The Apocalypse from Boikot Films.
Like Tales Of The Walking Dead, Portraits rather quickly sets up a world wherein a zombie-like infestation has only began to establish itself in the world outside. Over three different vignettes (each lasting about 20-25 minutes), the audience gets introduced to some small players who most likely won’t survive this world-changing event – there’s an almost aggravating sense of naivete to much of the action, suggesting that none of these folks have ever even seen a Horror film (snicker snicker) – and they’ve absolutely no idea about what to expect when civilization itself collapses. Still, it’s this same innocence – call it an almost small-town mystique – that makes each installment interesting in their own ways.
Whether it be a veteran policewoman suffered a psychological breakdown, a disheveled elderly grandmother believing she’s trapped a rat in her pantry, or an emotionally distraught father trying to reconnect with his dead son via supernatural methods, each of these chapters both stand alone and fuel the central narrative of a world teetering on the brink. Writers and directors Luca Castello, Fabián Forte, and Nicanor Loreti do their best to set the stage for each of their short films within; and each uses just enough space to make the Horror as small-scale yet authentic as necessary to the pawns caught up in the action. Thankfully, each story deals with something reasonable relatable – a cop who wants to get ahead, a woman who wants her apartment rodent-free, a man wants closure over an accidental death – before indulging in the dark twists audiences have come to expect from any encounter with those reanimated after death. Each chapter involves a healthy amount of blood and gore; but it’s all handled within the context of the story, never growing gratuitous or superfluous in the slightest.
If anything, one could easily fault Portraits for being just that: they’re so independent from one another that they don’t quite follow the same texture. Our villains in the police story wind up being a bit two-fold; and the female detective rather conveniently engages in an almost The Lord Of The Rings Gollum-esque arguing with herself too quickly. The fact that the closing scene really only embraces the over-arching theme – there be zombies here – feels a bit too incidental. The apartment rat episode has enough substance that it could easily have been expanded but likely not reach the run time of a desired feature film: it also tinkers in such a way with its concealed and hungry critter to suggest there might be something greater than traditional walkers in play in this world. Lastly, the distraught father seeking some kind of reuniting with his dead son introduced a heavy degree of – say – spiritual voodoo; and such practices – while perhaps culturally significant – rarely work in the way they did here in zombie films, suggesting again that maybe there was something greater at work here than three loosely connected chapters established.
Without knowing more, I’m left with what there is: zombies – kind of – are just taking over the place, and the future looks grim.
Portraits Of The Apocalypse (2024) was produced by Boikot Films. According to the supplied press materials, the project will be available for digital or physical (DVD) purchase on July 14, 2026, from Cleopatra Venom. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are of exceptional quality: there’s no post-production trickery (that I noticed), and the scares are all handled with some very solid in-camera practical effects. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this via streaming, there were no special features to consider.
Recommended.
Because I’m admitted a big fan of anthology films, I likely enjoyed Portraits Of The Apocalypse (2024) more than the next bloke. While it’s a smartly made compilation of shorts assembled around one narrative whole, the pieces don’t exactly align perfectly but are still close enough to give the impression that crap’s about to hit the fan and everyone needs to head for the hills. Though there’s no one, big, shiny performance the action hinges on, each of the players definitely hits the note well enough for this one to sing in unison: I just wish what precisely was happening here – be it zombies or monsters or some kind of demonic possession – was a bit clearer. Such is life … and death, it would seem.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Cleopatra Venom provided me with complimentary streaming access to Portraits Of The Apocalypse (2024) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“The film depicts a Buenos Aires overrun by zombies through four intertwined stories, exploring the outbreak's confusion, ensuing chaos, and humanity's fight to endure the impossible.”
Very late in the run of AMC’s zombie-friendly juggernaut The Walking Dead, producers put their head together in trying to figure out alternative ways to keep their franchise afloat. From what I recall, their flagship series – The Walking Dead – was winding down; and the first spin-off – Fear The Walking Dead – was still lumbering along though not quite enjoying the same ratings the originating program had at its cultural zenith. The network suits were ready and willing to invest in continued programming; but they – like the showrunners – believed that only by going in some different creative direction might the franchise recover some of the luster it had lost along the way.
One of the short-lived efforts was an anthology format: Tales Of The Walking Dead looked to explore several stand-alone stories tied to the wide, wide universe of television zombies but would showcase independent yarns of other survivors not already featured in any of the shows that had come before. The idea was that storytellers could use this established universe as a backdrop, and the hope was that perhaps audiences would be drawn back into the property with entirely fresh perspectives emerging from these unknown faces. Alas, the experiment didn’t quite work; but those of us who turned in – I was among them – were given something both familiar and uniquely all its own … and that’s mostly what one gets with 2024’s Portraits Of The Apocalypse from Boikot Films.
Like Tales Of The Walking Dead, Portraits rather quickly sets up a world wherein a zombie-like infestation has only began to establish itself in the world outside. Over three different vignettes (each lasting about 20-25 minutes), the audience gets introduced to some small players who most likely won’t survive this world-changing event – there’s an almost aggravating sense of naivete to much of the action, suggesting that none of these folks have ever even seen a Horror film (snicker snicker) – and they’ve absolutely no idea about what to expect when civilization itself collapses. Still, it’s this same innocence – call it an almost small-town mystique – that makes each installment interesting in their own ways.
Whether it be a veteran policewoman suffered a psychological breakdown, a disheveled elderly grandmother believing she’s trapped a rat in her pantry, or an emotionally distraught father trying to reconnect with his dead son via supernatural methods, each of these chapters both stand alone and fuel the central narrative of a world teetering on the brink. Writers and directors Luca Castello, Fabián Forte, and Nicanor Loreti do their best to set the stage for each of their short films within; and each uses just enough space to make the Horror as small-scale yet authentic as necessary to the pawns caught up in the action. Thankfully, each story deals with something reasonable relatable – a cop who wants to get ahead, a woman who wants her apartment rodent-free, a man wants closure over an accidental death – before indulging in the dark twists audiences have come to expect from any encounter with those reanimated after death. Each chapter involves a healthy amount of blood and gore; but it’s all handled within the context of the story, never growing gratuitous or superfluous in the slightest.
If anything, one could easily fault Portraits for being just that: they’re so independent from one another that they don’t quite follow the same texture. Our villains in the police story wind up being a bit two-fold; and the female detective rather conveniently engages in an almost The Lord Of The Rings Gollum-esque arguing with herself too quickly. The fact that the closing scene really only embraces the over-arching theme – there be zombies here – feels a bit too incidental. The apartment rat episode has enough substance that it could easily have been expanded but likely not reach the run time of a desired feature film: it also tinkers in such a way with its concealed and hungry critter to suggest there might be something greater than traditional walkers in play in this world. Lastly, the distraught father seeking some kind of reuniting with his dead son introduced a heavy degree of – say – spiritual voodoo; and such practices – while perhaps culturally significant – rarely work in the way they did here in zombie films, suggesting again that maybe there was something greater at work here than three loosely connected chapters established.
Without knowing more, I’m left with what there is: zombies – kind of – are just taking over the place, and the future looks grim.
Portraits Of The Apocalypse (2024) was produced by Boikot Films. According to the supplied press materials, the project will be available for digital or physical (DVD) purchase on July 14, 2026, from Cleopatra Venom. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are of exceptional quality: there’s no post-production trickery (that I noticed), and the scares are all handled with some very solid in-camera practical effects. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I viewed this via streaming, there were no special features to consider.
Recommended.
Because I’m admitted a big fan of anthology films, I likely enjoyed Portraits Of The Apocalypse (2024) more than the next bloke. While it’s a smartly made compilation of shorts assembled around one narrative whole, the pieces don’t exactly align perfectly but are still close enough to give the impression that crap’s about to hit the fan and everyone needs to head for the hills. Though there’s no one, big, shiny performance the action hinges on, each of the players definitely hits the note well enough for this one to sing in unison: I just wish what precisely was happening here – be it zombies or monsters or some kind of demonic possession – was a bit clearer. Such is life … and death, it would seem.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Cleopatra Venom provided me with complimentary streaming access to Portraits Of The Apocalypse (2024) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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