🌵 Short Story: “The Bad Batch”
In a scorched, dystopian wasteland beyond the U.S. borders, where those deemed unfit for society are exiled without trial, Arlen, a young woman, is cast out and forced to survive on her own. Almost immediately, she is captured by a clan of cannibals. Her arm and leg are hacked off before she manages a daring escape, crawling through sand and heat with the resolve of a survivor.
Rescued by a mute hermit and brought to a strange town called Comfort, Arlen begins to piece herself back together—literally and emotionally. Comfort is a bizarre oasis led by the charismatic Dream, where techno music throbs and people lose themselves in drugs and delusions. But Arlen’s trauma keeps her detached, and when she meets Miami Man—a fearsome cannibal with a soft heart searching for his missing daughter—her perspective on morality blurs.
In this land of the discarded, there are no heroes. Arlen must choose between revenge, redemption, or carving her own place in a society where humanity has become optional.
🎥 Movie Review: “The Bad Batch” (2016)
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Genre: Dystopian · Horror · Romance
Runtime: 1h 58min
Review:
Ana Lily Amirpour, known for her atmospheric debut A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, delivers a hypnotic, genre-bending tale with The Bad Batch. Set in a lawless desert exile-zone, the film is both a commentary on social outcasts and a surreal exploration of human savagery.
Visual & Atmosphere:
The film thrives on its haunting aesthetic—bleached deserts, pop-art colors, and Mad Max–style settlements. Amirpour’s world-building is immersive, enhanced by an eclectic soundtrack ranging from dreamy synths to EDM, and striking cinematography that turns even brutality into art.
Performances:
Suki Waterhouse (Arlen) carries the film with minimal dialogue but raw physicality. Jason Momoa is both intimidating and tender as Miami Man, while Keanu Reeves delivers a strange, cult-leader charm as Dream. Jim Carrey also makes an eerie, silent cameo, proving his depth even without words.
Themes:
The film challenges ideas of justice, survival, and morality. Who gets to decide what makes someone “bad”? In this brutal exile, Amirpour blurs lines between victim and villain, beauty and horror.
