After a mysterious electro-magnetic pulse renders the world’s technology useless, a young girl finds herself isolated and alone with only her father’s strict set of rules to keep her alive.

Today, our world is surrounded by technology that has made us obsolete before living under the instinct of nature. If any of us were told that we have the hours counted to adapt or prepare to live on the planet without the use of devices that facilitate our lives, it would probably be difficult to separate ourselves from that link we have towards the constant use of electronic devices.

In ZERO, Alice (Bella Ramsey) and her father (Nigel O’Neill) are preparing for what appears to be the beginning of the apocalypse on Earth. While preparing, Alice’s father suffers a minor stroke subsequent of a surgery. While making their preparations, on television you can see the transmission of a countdown.

Alice receives from her father a set of rules that she must follow to survive for the next five years; the approximate time the supplies will last. Alice should not leave the house, she should not trust anyone, and she should not let anyone in either. To the viewer, this set of rules can be understood as the new lifestyle that the girl must have in order to survive the five years that her father has planned.  These rules are painted on different walls of the house so that she can remember them in each new day that passes. Once the countdown comes to an end, the energy in the house is cut off, and the father suffers a fulminating heart attack. Now, Alice must continue with her life without her father.

Although ZERO is a short film, it seems more to be an introduction to a series of shorts that could be starred by the same actress. The main reason to think about this is because of the inconclusive outcome that leaves in doubt if the power cut was from an extraterrestrial attack or if it was to mitigate it. Science fiction is an irrelevant factor during the short film; it is until the last minute when you reach the conclusion that the genre was making a presence. And, although the characters are not developed nor have any profiles to follow, this does not seem necessary since the plot has everything included.

ZERO is a nice short film. It could be extended to present a complete story of survival for the main character, as long as the character has a developed background story.