The Colony (2013) and Gender

Gender sometimes plays a complex role in contemporary cli-fi films. In The Colony (2013) directed by Jeff Renroe, masculinity takes center stage for the few human survivors forced underground by a sudden ice age caused by global warming. Colony 7, one of these outposts, receives a distress signal from another, Colony 5.

Masculine bodies rule in this post-climate apocalyptic world where its heroes and villains are all male. The leader of Colony 7, Briggs ((Laurence Fishburne), organizes an expedition with his assistant Sam (Kevin Zegers) and young recruit Graydon (Atticus Dean Mitchell) to investigate, leaving one of the few women, biologist Kai (Charlotte Sullivan) in charge.

But Briggs’ former military partner Mason (Bill Paxton) quickly seizes control. After a two-day walk, Briggs, Sam, and Graydon reach Colony 5 and discover the reason for the signal: a savage group of male cannibals has slaughtered all but one of the colonists. In The Colony, men (Briggs and Sam) must save humanity from other savage men (Mason and the cannibals).

The cli-fi message comes through mainly in the frozen landscape and a message showing that another colony has successfully manipulated the weather to reveal the sun and the fertile soil beneath the ice. Kai’s role connects to this message, since as a biologist, she has gathered and preserved the seeds they will need to survive in “the warm place” where Sam leads them.