Oxygen

Alexandre Aja's Oxygen impressed me with its intimate concept - Mélanie Laurent's one-woman-show - and the screenwriter's play with the viewer, which, however, had its cracks and weak spots. From the beginning, I had various explanations in my head as to why the protagonist found herself in a broken cryo-chamber, and personally I didn't find the plot so predictable. But I was somewhat distracted by the Milo, who functioned almost as a "deus ex machina" in the story, and at times threw the plot developments around recklessly. Also, Oxygen would have benefited from a quarter of an hour shorter running time. The ending was visually captivating and the title music definitely had its charm. (05/22/2021)

A less depressing and daunting alternative to Buried, where Mélanie Laurent's voice and gestures are similarly important, as is the velvety talking "robot" voiced by Mathieu Amalric. It's nothing revolutionary, but for a film that takes place in a few square meters, it manages to keep the viewer's attention throughout and the last few minutes will delight the eyes and ears of many a sci-fi fan. (11/20/2021)

This is a minimalist thriller about being buried alive in a typically Poe-esque fashion, this time situated in the world of science fiction. It does not come even close to the qualities of Rodrigo Cortés's thriller Buried, which was a real conversation piece and came a whole decade earlier. Here, the screenwriter hides the banal plot behind cheap tricks, such as memory loss and the gradual revealing of things the audience can guess a few, sometimes even tens of minutes before they are revealed in the movie. In the last quarter of the movie, it is sort of pleasing to see the broader backdrop in which the action takes place. But all in all, it did not take my breath away at all. (05/17/2021)

Despite all the surprising events of the film, something is missing that would make me want to watch it a second time, but it is definitely a good film. It could be ten to fifteen minutes longer, because at the end, in addition to the main protagonist, the story also runs out of breath. Mélanie Laurent is excellent, Alexandre Aja uses the cramped space of the cryochamber in such a way that you do not get bored, and I really enjoyed the unpredictable computer MILO, which can execute almost any command, but only after it is properly told about it. One may guess the point, but it's mainly about the atmosphere, and it's great. (05/13/2021)

A claustrophobic, catastrophic sci-fi about a bio-form in a cryogenic box. Bewitching visuals, thrilling conversations with the sleazy voice of Mathieu Amalrica and relatively surprising plot twists are among the main attractions of Oxygen. It turns out that Aja doesn’t restrict himself to blood baths, but he also has a talent for storytelling. Want some sedative? (05/12/2021)