DMZ on HBOMax Review w/exclusive cast interview including Rosario Dawson
DMZ Premieres on HBOMax March 17th—thanks to my partners at WarnerMedia for the opportunity to screen this series.
DMZ is a profoundly-contemplative, dynamically-poetic take on the DC graphic novel. Director Ava DuVernay and writer Roberto Patino delivered an onscreen masterpiece that takes us on a journey through moral complexities and will have audiences questioning everything, perhaps even their own humanity.
Set in a post-apocalyptic World, we follow heroine Rosario Dawson who plays Alma, or ‘Z’, a mom on a mission to be reunited with her son after their separation in Episode 1. What viewers will quickly come to realize is everything is not as it seems. This 4 part series was an easy watch, but not because it was simple—in fact, quite the opposite. It keeps you engaged by keeping you guessing. Blurring the lines between good and evil, we see the characters battle internal dilemmas and the inherent traumas of families torn apart—but DMZ is anything but your traditional apocalyptic story.
Experienced from the female perspective, Z navigates her new reality as she crosses enemy lines in search of the “normalcy” and simpler times of mom life. Throughout the series we’re shown flashbacks of said times, specifically of a nonsensical argument between mother and son. What we later come to learn is this flashback would be the catalyst for life-changing ramification.
Without giving it all away, DMZ leans on showcasing what goes on in the minds of regular people turned war-time leaders. Will the youngest of them follow the example of his surroundings and grow up to choose brute force or be a beacon for the next generation? Will Skel (Freddy Miyares) follow his father Parco, played by Benjamin Bratt, to the ‘darkside’? Or will Alma become the leader the people find hope and salvation in? You’ll have to watch to find out! But what I can say is if you are someone who wants to be surprised and taken on a suspenseful ride—DMZ is for you!
While at SXSW, I was able to meet the stars of the show and talk all things DMZ and more—check out a few of my favorite moments and catch DMZ on HBOMax March 17th.
