Parents' Guide to The Park

This is an uneven horror tale. Given the circumstances, many of the kids act accordingly, but it's never explained why so many kids turn to brutal and murderous violence so quickly. The violence, however, in The Park isn't too gory or nasty, but it's shocking to see the lack of emotional or psychological impact in children after they commit such violent acts, like cutting another kid's throat, hacking a kid to death with a machete, or beating another kid with a baseball bat. Some of the over-the-top performances can be forgiven, but the inexplicable brutality of the kids might need more background for it to be more believable. Once the main reveal is discovered, for example, it's hard to not imagine the message more easily being communicated and earlier, before all the unnecessary carnage.

But there are some clever moments here and there. It just lacks a logical consistency (what happened in all the cities?), a clear sense of timing (how long after the fall are we?), and a believable conflict (why couldn't the "enemy" communicate their true wishes earlier?), all of which would have helped this indie feel more representative of what "would really happen" if all adults in the world suddenly died.