In The Girl with all the Gifts, the infected kids share a special bond, one which makes this film unique among the zombie genre and introduces a vital aspect to the plot of the film.
Making its triumphant return to Netflix's streaming library as of April 2020, the film s a laundry list of zombie-related films currently streaming. The inventive film is based on the novel of the same name by M.R. Carey. It tells the story of Melanie, played brilliantly in her feature debut by Sennia Nanua. She has been raised in a military compound for years, while kept in restrained containment along with other children, as she possesses a rare virus which is reserved solely in kids. Their teacher, Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton), not only educates the children, but has assumed an emotional, motherly bond with them as well.
Beyond the compound's barriers lies thousands of rabid 'hungries', of which all the children are indeed a special breed, having been in the womb during the outbreak. The virus is brought on by a fungal disease that wraps around the brain, infecting the host. When the compound is overrun by the hungries, Justineau, along with both Dr. Caroline Caldwell (Glenn Close) and Sgt. Eddie Parks (Paddy Considine), assume command in moving the children to an off-site safe space. The mission is not only to preserve the children, but utilize them for study in hopes of finding the cure for the disease.
The Girl With All The Gifts: Why The Kids Are Infected
The fungal virus, Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis, is a rare genus that grows in insects, primarily in ants. To ensure accuracy, director Colm McCarthy enlisted João Araújo, a biologist who specializes in the zombie-ant disease, which invades the host, assumes control of the body, and conquers the brain. This results in the spread of spores. These spores are what infected the children during pre-birth and, via salves and other scent-producing equipment, is what protects the adults from the hungries.
The disease is unique in that it allowed children, still in the womb, having not succumbed to the mother's parasite host, to retain an essence of humanity, despite the hunger for human flesh. That said, the neural and metaphysical connection is why they are indeed affected. Melanie is the rare case in the ongoing study for a cure. She seems to possess a mental leadership over the other children, but even more humanity, which makes her an interesting case, but also extremely dangerous.
Though the children have essentially been tabbed as the antagonists of the film, it is important to take into consideration that they retain a level of humanity, while also still having attributes of both curiosity and the innocence of a child. The individual spores fell to the children, similarly how it spreads to ants. The children took on a follow-the-leader mentality, where Melanie serves as the queen and the other infected children are her drones, thus forming a metaphysical colony. The children of The Girl with all the Gifts have a metaphysical and colonial bond, which makes this film both unique and rare within the zombie sub-genre.
