The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Trying to remember a film that you watched a while back is pretty hard. Indeed, unless that film is one of the rare standouts it will fade from your memory. With a repeated theme and not much that stands out, The Domestics is just another film added to the pile.

The Domestics is set in a post-apocalyptic world, after the government released a poisonous black gas that kills people. With the only survivors being those who are immune to the poison, some are struggling to survive and others to dominate. Attempting to escape from the gangs dominating the country, barely-together-couple Mark West (Tyler Hoechlin) and Nina West (Kate Bosworth) strive to make it to Milwaukee to see Nina’s parents, as well as give each other a chance to save their marriage.

The post-apocalyptic theme is nothing new and has been quite popular with filmmakers recently, but with barely any standouts. The plot is basically a fast-paced string of action sequences strung together, which does not leave much room for the audience to really get bored. However, the film does not offer anything unique.

The plot was also somewhat thin in several instances. The film, for example, never seems to give any motivation to why the government would create a poison in order to kill everyone in the first place. It also does not seem to clarify the possible benefits of killing the people if the government won’t reap any rewards.

The Domestics also suffered greatly with not having the audience care about its main characters since it did not really delve into their complexities and offered only a shallow take on their personal lives. When talking about Nina and Mark’s problems and why they were on the verge of a divorce, for example, there is no solid reason as to why they want to separate, Nina just says that they fight a lot.

For the acting, the most obvious issue was the complete and utter lack of chemistry between Kate Bosworth and Tyler Hoechlin. The dynamic between the two characters who are supposedly in love, facing imminent death, and saving each other over and over again is non-existent. Separately, Bosworth did a decent job with the role of the wife struggling to adapt and her more bold transformation at the end. Hoechlin, however, was bland with almost the same facial expression, barely any emotions to show, and very little charisma.

The thriller scenes might make you sit this one through, without really thinking that it’s a complete and utter waste; but, if you are looking for something you will remember in a week, or if you are not entertained by violent thrillers, then this isn’t for you.