Michael Gabriele is a powerful director, and it’s proven by “Haven” where he films a beautiful vision of the apocalypse. Surely, it’s one that’s wrought with violence, and a disgusting death, but it’s also one that’s utterly mesmerizing. Some of the shots within “Haven” are magnificent, and he uses a lot of the settings to depict a desolate world where starvation is the order of the day.
Set during the apocalypse where most of the world’s population have deteriorated from GMO foods, four strangers are traveling their city looking for food. They have an unfortunate task ahead of them though, as GMO’s are easy to come by and could promise them horrible deaths. They find an old food storage unit where they manage to come across a seemingly normal batch of fruit. What seems to be their salvation soon becomes a slow and painful experience of their worst fears. “Haven” is a beautiful depiction of the apocalypse that is capable of being turned in to a full length film.
From Michael Gabriele’s direction to Jordan Brandes’ tight writing, I found “Haven” to be both fantastic and creepy. Once the foursome head in to their safe haven, things aren’t exactly what they seem, and Gabriele has fun playing with various colors, and shadows, providing a trip in to their minds. The only fault I found with “Haven” is that I have no clue what the hell the ending was supposed to indicate; if anything. Was it all in the character’s mind? Was someone experimenting on them? Was the whole surgical table symbolic of something? Despite the baffling final scene, “Haven” is a remarkable apocalyptic film with top notch direction. I hope to see more from Michael Gabriele soon.