Two of Us (2020)
Two of Us (also released under the alternate title Paradise Z, which is the version most viewers outside a handful of markets are likely to encounter) is a 2020 post-apocalyptic thriller clocking in at a brisk eighty minutes. On paper, it sits within a well-worn genre tradition: two survivors trying to carve out some semblance of ordinary life after civilisation has collapsed, only for the outside world to intrude. It is the kind of stripped-back, two-hander premise that has produced some genuinely memorable low-budget genre films over the years, and the post-apocalyptic setting carries obvious cultural resonance in an era when end-of-world scenarios feel rather less hypothetical than they once did. For a broader sense of how the genre handles large-scale catastrophe, you might look back at something like The Day After Tomorrow (2004), which represents the big-budget, spectacle-first end of that particular spectrum. Two of Us occupies almost the opposite extreme: intimate, location-dependent, and working with very limited resources.
The film was directed by Wych Kaosayananda, a Thai-American filmmaker whose career has been, to put it charitably, uneven. He is perhaps best known internationally for the 2003 action film Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, a production that became something of a byword for expensive, incoherent Hollywood action filmmaking after it was savaged by critics on release. Two of Us represents a much smaller scale of operation, shot in what appears to be a single lush outdoor location with a minimal crew and a cast of essentially two. The principal performers are Milena Gorum and Alice Tantayanon, both of whom are called upon to carry the vast majority of the film's running time between them. Tantayanon has a background in Thai cinema and television, while Gorum brings a different kind of screen presence to the pairing. Whether either actor is well-served by the material and the direction they receive is very much the central question hanging over the production. For a point of comparison in terms of films that rest almost entirely on two lead performances pushing against each other, the psychological pressures of Sisters (1972) offer a very different but instructive example of how much a thriller can achieve on limited means when the direction is purposeful. Similarly, the way Mad God (2021) constructs a coherent, unsettling world from apparently nothing is a useful reminder of what commitment to vision can accomplish at the margins of mainstream filmmaking.
The production has no major studio backing, and details about its budget are not publicly confirmed, though the evidence on screen suggests it was made for a very modest sum. What is clear is that the filmmakers chose to lean into their natural location rather than work around it, giving the film a sun-drenched, visually particular look that sets it apart from the grim, grey palette associated with most zombie survival fare. Whether that aesthetic choice is a strength, a distraction, or something altogether more puzzling is exactly the sort of question that a review of this film has to reckon with. Macca watched it so you do not have to, or perhaps so you can decide whether you want to.
I actually watched this under its alternative title, Paradise Z. I'd never heard of director Wych Kaosayananda before this and I won't be in a rush to watch more. Going in, I was hoping for a thrilling, zombie-infused survival story, but what we actually get is a deeply flawed, experiment in genre-blending.
I will start with the one positive about this film. It's undeniably gorgeous to look at. Kaosayananda and his cinematography team have crafted a visually appealing backdrop, capturing the lush, idyllic isolation of a lovely, crystal-clear pool surrounded by nature (which doesn't work at all for a zombie film of course). If you’re just looking at the static frames, the picture quality and the visual aesthetic are genuinely fine and quite pleasing to the eye.
However, once you actually press play, the sheer ambition of the film’s pacing completely unravels. For a staggering 60 minutes, the movie essentially functions as a slow-burn, meditative romance, following its two beautiful lead actresses as they simply relax by the pool and engage in various romantic "activities". I suppose I can appreciate the director's bold attempt to build intimacy and let the characters breathe in a quiet, post-apocalyptic world, but the execution is incredibly grueling and maybe even a little awkward. There are literal 10-minute stretches with absolutely no dialogue, and the zombie threat is entirely absent. It’s a massive misfire that tests your patience to the absolute limit, turning what should be a tense survival story into a painfully drawn-out holiday video.
It isn't until the final 20 minutes or so that the film finally remembers it’s supposed to be a zombie movie. When the undead do eventually show up, I have to give credit where it’s due: the special effects and makeup for the zombies are actually quite decent and show a real effort in the practical design. Unfortunately, the actual handling of these scenes is awfully directed. The acting falls completely flat, the story makes no sense, and there is absolutely zero horror or tension to be found. It’s a chaotic, underwhelming climax that fails to salvage the narrative. It reminded me of The House of the Dead by Uwe Boll (a similarly awful film).
Ultimately, Paradise Z is a baffling cinematic experience that fails in almost every conceivable aspect of traditional filmmaking. The acting is weak, the story is non-existent, and the horror elements are entirely missing. The only reason I’m awarding it a single star, rather than a zero, is purely down to those undeniably fine visual compositions and the surprisingly decent gore effects in the final act. It’s a beautiful, well-shot failure that I certainly won't be rushing to watch again, but as a bizarre, visually pretty curiosity in the zombie genre, it at least has the decency to look good while completely falling apart.
Two of Us is the kind of film that ends up being discussed less for what it achieves and more for what it suggests about the gap between ambition and execution. Genre-blending is a perfectly legitimate creative strategy, as any number of polished but unconventional horror films have demonstrated, and a slow, sensory approach to post-apocalyptic storytelling is not inherently a wrong turn. The trouble, as Macca makes clear, is that good intentions and pretty images are not a substitute for a coherent film. With a one-star verdict, this sits at the more painful end of the reviewing spectrum, though it joins a small and curious club of productions that are visually presentable while being almost entirely hollow beneath the surface. If you are drawn to low-budget zombie oddities, Evil Dead Rise (2023) might serve as a useful reminder of what the genre looks like when it actually works. As for Two of Us, it remains a polished but baffling footnote: a film that reportedly remembered it was a thriller only when it had twenty minutes left to go.
Rating: ★ | Year: 2020 | Watched: 2026-07-02
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
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