“Paradise Z” Theatrical Poster
AKA: Two of Us
Director: Wych Kaosayananda
Cast: Milena Gorum, Alice Tantayanon, Michael S. New, Brian Migliore, Lee Mason
Running Time: 90 min.
By Paul Bramhall
In the closing scenes of 2019’s The Driver, the final entry (and first to be released – best not to ask) in director Wych Kaosayananda’s post-apocalyptic zombie trilogy, we’re introduced to a pair of zombie hunting femme fatales in the form of Milena Gorum and Alice Tantayanon. The pair play the leads in the first entry, titled Two of Us, which at the time of The Drivers’s release was still in post-production (the likely reason being that the latter’s star, Mark Dacascos, had just appeared on the big screen as the main villain in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, which saw it fast tracked so as to strike while the iron’s hot). Not that I went looking all that hard, but I figured Two of Us must have ended up shelved, as it seemed to never see the light of day, and it was only recently I found out why – since 2019 it’s gone through a couple of re-titles, first as Dead Earth, before eventually getting released in most territories as Paradise Z.
Naturally, curiosity led me to check it out. To say Paradise Z has a minimal cast would be the understatement of the year, with the closing credits listing only 3 cast members, despite at least a handful more roles showing up on screen (although admittedly, all of them amount to only seconds of screentime). Gorum and Tantayanon play a pair of apocalypse survivors who, after losing their husbands to a zombie attack at the same time, come to realise they’re lesbians (sometimes zombie attacks can have their benefits), and have been doing their best to live a peaceful life in an abandoned resort in Thailand ever since. Neither has done much in the film industry after Paradise Z, with Gorum turning up in the music video for French band Retriever’s 2021 song Purple being her only other credit, and Tantayanon would go on to play a minor role in Kaosayananda’s One Night in Bangkok, also from 2020, before disappearing.
Any movie that’s opening scene consists of a toilet being flushed almost feels like it’s baiting those that watch it to make harshly comparative metaphors based on its quality (I always try and go into movies with an open mind, but when the movie in question is the prequel/sequel to The Driver, apprehension is a given!). However the opening 5 minutes of Paradise Z proves to be surprisingly compelling. Played out entirely in silence, without any mention of the word “zombie”, the visuals do the necessary talking. From the toilet seat and cover being adorned in what can best be described as an oversized tea cosy, to faucets being wrapped with cloth, as the audience we understand that in this world, silence is key to survival.
However the opening also has a habit of betraying some of its own rules. No sooner has the importance of silence been established than we see the pair take a shower with no such noise reduction measures in place, indicating that perhaps the main purpose of the scene was to establish that Tantayanon is willing to show her posterior, while any topless scenes will be left to Gorum. I’m sure there are those out there that would consider this to be as equally an important piece of cinematic language. As a result the sense of unsettling calm established in these initial scenes ends up eventually dissipating. The relatability of seeing day-to-day menial tasks have to be performed in complete silence is initially engaging, but then we watch the pair do some yoga outside, then take a swim in the pool, then listen to some music, then read a book. Then I felt a sinking feeling in my chest – is this going to be all we watch for the next 80 minutes!?
The answer is yes and no. Certainly a large part of Paradise Z consists of simply following Gorum and Tantayanon around as they go about their day to day. If IMDB trivia is to be believed, originally the story was intended to be shot in a multistorey hotel, and had action scenes planned that utilised spaces like the elevator, stairwell, and underground parking, but the location fell through at the last minute. This resulted in the screenplay having to be adjusted once the resort was secured, which consists of one storey cabin accommodation spread across a decently sized piece of land. While Kaosayananda definitely makes the most of the spacious surroundings, there’s also a lot less variety in terms of where zombie related scenarios can play out, with the multistorey element restricted to terra firma.
Not that such unexpected changes can excuse some of the scenes. I can still recall as if it was yesterday holding my head in my hands at the fact we have to watch Mark Dacascos go to the bathroom not once but twice in One Night in Bangkok, and Paradise Z pulls the same stunt, giving us a toilet break scene with both Gorum and Tantayanon. Essential viewing, but at least we’re spared the split-screen treatment here. The only other billed cast member is Michael S. New (who, much like Tantayanon, has the honour of a Kaosayananda hattrick, also featuring in both The Driver and One Night in Bangkok), playing the same DJ character as he did in The Driver. Much like Dacascos listens to his broadcasts about the mysterious “Haven”, one of the last bastions for humanity, so our pair of leads here also dial into his frequency, listening to his updates in the hope of some good news.
Unfortunately, rather than good news, they get to hear him introduce a cover of I Will Always Love You by Nickelback, the scene thankfully cutting out before it plays. Despite the lack of Canadian pop-rock, the soundtrack for Paradise Z is one of its biggest strengths. The production would mark the feature length debut for composer Justin Katz (credited as J-Punch) after working on numerous shorts, and he’d go onto become Kaosayananda’s go-to composer for his production’s soundtracks. Consistently leaning into a sense of foreboding dread, the music serves to keep a subtle feel of underlying tension even in the scenes that are best be described as mundanely serene.
As tends to be the case for many low budget zombie movies, when the undead eventually do show up, they mostly consist of extras with painted faces who’ve been told to run like the clappers, their clothes surprisingly clean considering the apocalypse at hand. I confess to laughing out loud when Tantayanon finds herself running away from a zombie, sprinting down a path through the resorts curated lawns, and the zombie chasing her was also kind enough to stick to the path as well. Apparently being a member of the undead is no excuse for poor guest manners. To his credit though, Kaosayananda does throw in one legitimate jump scare, when Gorum wakes up in the middle of the night to find Tantayanon no longer by her side. It’s a tried and tested approach, but the fact so much of the narrative is spent watching them go about their uneventful daily routine allows it to deliver the intended jump in the seat moment.
Even with the minimal script though there are narrative inconsistencies. In one of the most interesting scenes Tantayanon is approached by a pair of male survivors while hunting for supplies, who Gurom opts to kill in cold blood. When Tantayanon questions why she murders them, Gorum asks her to remember what happened last time, offering up a flashback to their previous life when their partners were attacked by zombies. The connection feels muddy at best though. So did she kill them because she thought they’d end up as zombies anyway? Beats me. Similarly, despite the narrative making it clear they have plenty of firepower at their disposal, whenever they do a permitter check only Gorum chooses to bring a gun, with Tantayonon opting for a baseball bat, which must surely be one of the most labour intensive ways to kill a zombie. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but no explanation is offered to reveal the reason why.
Despite the frequently nonsensical plotting and generally aimless narrative, Gorum and Tantayanon make for a pair of likeable leads, somehow managing to keep a zombie movie that doesn’t feature a single zombie until way past the halfway mark strangely watchable. Now in 2025, it seems like the 2nd entry in the trilogy that was intended to star Kane Kosugi (who also showed up at the end of The Driver) – titled The Rider – is likely not going to happen. As an action fan, if you were to ask me if I’d rather take a movie that features a pair of unknown actresses going about their daily lives over one with Mark Dacascos, then to my surprise as much as anyone else, my answer is yes.
Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 5/10
