What Still Remains (2018) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The movie takes place in a scarred, post-pandemic landscape centered around the ruins of a once-thriving city devastated by a viral pandemic. This ruined urban environment contrasts sharply with the protective woods surrounding it, and the journey also leads to a nearby religious commune that represents both hope and moral complexity.

• ruined city
• woods
• religious commune
• setting
• pandemic world

The story is set twenty-five years after a catastrophic viral pandemic that destroyed civilization. This places the narrative in a world where society has completely broken down, with survivors living in a harsh, lawless environment characterized by violence and feral behavior.

• 25 years post-pandemic
• time period
• pandemic
• future

The film explores three major themes: survival in a ruthless world where moral choices become life-or-death decisions; faith and morality as characters grapple with belief in a chaotic, godless environment; and loss, which permeates the narrative through Anna's journey of grief and trauma.

• themes
• survival
• faith
• morality
• loss
• religion

Survival is portrayed as a constant moral struggle in a brutal world where characters must make difficult choices to stay alive. The film examines how people maintain, or lose, their humanity when faced with constant danger, showing that survival often comes at a significant ethical cost.

• survival
• moral choices
• humanity
• post-apocalyptic

Faith and religion serve as a complex element in the narrative, particularly through Anna's Christian upbringing and her interactions with the religious commune. The film questions how belief systems survive, and are corrupted, in a world devastated by chaos, exploring the tension between spiritual morality and desperate survival.

• faith
• religion
• Christianity
• commune
• belief
• morality

Anna is the film's protagonist, a fiercely independent young woman who embodies resilience and resourcefulness. Her primary motivation is protecting her younger brother David, which forces her into difficult choices. Throughout the story, she navigates trust and betrayal while evolving as a character in a world stripped of morality.

• Anna
• protagonist
• main character
• survivor
• protector

Peter is a mysterious traveler who presents himself as a potential ally to Anna, offering hope for a new beginning and companionship. However, his manipulative tendencies and aggressive behavior reveal deep psychological scars. He represents the dangers of trust in a corrupted world and raises questions about whether anyone can truly be trusted in such desperate times.

• Peter
• traveler
• manipulative
• antagonist
• trust

David is Anna's younger brother, portrayed as vulnerable and dependent on his sister for survival. When he sustains a significant injury during their journey, his vulnerability increases dramatically, adding emotional weight to Anna's struggles. His fate becomes deeply intertwined with Anna's emotional journey and the choices she must make.

• David
• brother
• Anna
• injury
• vulnerable

Judith is a survivor encountered after the commune's downfall, embodying the moral corruption that has infected humanity. Her cautious and sorrowful demeanor reflects lost hopes and the harsh realities of survival. She serves as a window into the consequences of the choices made by those around her in this corrupted world.

• Judith
• survivor
• commune
• moral corruption

The characters inhabit a desolate, post-apocalyptic world where civilization has collapsed entirely. It's a brutal landscape where violence is common, morality is frequently compromised, and survivors must constantly weigh trust against danger. The contrast between the ruined city and the woods highlights the duality of danger and fleeting safety in this world.

• post-apocalyptic world
• lawless
• violence
• survival
• collapsed civilization

The religious commune represents both hope and moral complexity in the story. It is depicted as a potential sanctuary in the chaotic world, but also harbors darker elements of manipulation and predatory behavior. The commune becomes a focal point for the film's exploration of faith corrupted and the moral ambiguity that exists even within seemingly protective communities.

• commune
• religious group
• cult
• sanctuary
• moral corruption

The film has an overwhelmingly dark tone, focusing on a world stripped of morality where survivors are forced into brutal choices. The narrative maintains a steady sense of dread through successive threats and reveals, with virtually no humor or meaningful romance. The emotional weight is heavy, driven by trauma, loss, and the bleak realization that humanity has fundamentally chosen immorality.

• dark tone
• bleak
• emotional
• horror
• thriller
• tone