I love low budget films, I love apocalyptic films, I love dystopian films, and I love Science Fiction. I also don't like to have expectations when starting a film and I must say, I enjoyed it. I also find a lot of these reviews over here lacking respect for filmmakers and actors. As far as I am concerned, al these low ratings are derived from people with a lack of understanding of the process of making a film, a lack of any artistic imagination, and a dissapointment due to simplistic expectations and a rough disposition towards filmmakers. I think it is a shame. The film should at least have a 6.
Lets break it down.
Story, 7 out of 10
Of course, films about contagion are out there in huge amounts. However, most of the time these films depict the unfolding of these events on a global scale or contain zombies. This film conveys a story from a much more intimate point of view. It did not seem unbelievable and I was gripped by it. I found the dialogue interesting enough to keep me immersed and see what was going to happen. During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic there were similar situations in Wuhan reported. Also, there seems to be some dystopian view conveyed how people live in these impersonal tower blocks, being reduced to small tribes. This film can be easily added to the rest of the films about contagion.
Acting, 8 out of 10
Despite of some of these reviews over here I found the acting pretty sufficient and well done. Some might think some of the actions of the characters are questionable but in fact that can be easily debated. Most of the abberant behaviour came from Sergei who clearly had emotional and anger issues. The fact that he made holes in the walls to reach his neighbors might be wayward, but is in fact a nice little way to bring the cast together. The way he treated Hazel was somewhat extreme, however, he saw her as the enemy. He finds his fate soon after. They don't try to break the windows because at first they all think the threat is coming from outside. The acting was convincing enough to me and I was immersed the whole time. The protagonist, Mark, an unsuccessful artist, played his role good. It was never overdone or underwhelming. He reminded me of Robert Maitland, a recurring character in books by J. G. Ballard.
Cinematography, 9 out of 10
A lot of camera shooting out of hand when needed. Well done shots and frames in tight spaces. Very well done lighting. Absolutely beautiful shots of the Highrise blocks which reminded me of the book Highrise by J. G. Ballard. Good close-ups of the characters showing their sweat and expressions. I found the camerawork and editting very well done. I also read in a review over here that there was nothing shocking. I totally disagree. The beating of one Hazmat guy with the bat, and the death of Sally and Hazel were quite chilling for me, as for the shootings of some tenants on the ground floor.
Music, 8 out of 10
Absolutely a good produced score which conveyed the dystopian feel and the urgency at the moments needed. It added absolutely to the eerie situations. Long, low sounding drones and the use of tribal percussion sections fitted well, as the tenants actually changed in some sort of tribalism. The music sounded nice, the subtitle music was amazing, well done.
Sound, 8 out of 10
The sound was great. Slamming of doors echoing through hallways, the dampened sounds when the actors are in their rooms, the sound of the violence, the muffled sounds of stuff happening in the corridors and so on added to the scary stuff the characters were dealing with. It seems that only the gunshots were done in postproduction, but most of the sounds and the dialogue was recorded on set and sounds very well.
If you are a fan of low budget films and, like me, have watched dozens of films with a 100 times more budget and which just felt overdone and dull in the end, don't let this pass. I think it was suprisingly good. Well done.
Lets break it down.
Story, 7 out of 10
Of course, films about contagion are out there in huge amounts. However, most of the time these films depict the unfolding of these events on a global scale or contain zombies. This film conveys a story from a much more intimate point of view. It did not seem unbelievable and I was gripped by it. I found the dialogue interesting enough to keep me immersed and see what was going to happen. During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic there were similar situations in Wuhan reported. Also, there seems to be some dystopian view conveyed how people live in these impersonal tower blocks, being reduced to small tribes. This film can be easily added to the rest of the films about contagion.
Acting, 8 out of 10
Despite of some of these reviews over here I found the acting pretty sufficient and well done. Some might think some of the actions of the characters are questionable but in fact that can be easily debated. Most of the abberant behaviour came from Sergei who clearly had emotional and anger issues. The fact that he made holes in the walls to reach his neighbors might be wayward, but is in fact a nice little way to bring the cast together. The way he treated Hazel was somewhat extreme, however, he saw her as the enemy. He finds his fate soon after. They don't try to break the windows because at first they all think the threat is coming from outside. The acting was convincing enough to me and I was immersed the whole time. The protagonist, Mark, an unsuccessful artist, played his role good. It was never overdone or underwhelming. He reminded me of Robert Maitland, a recurring character in books by J. G. Ballard.
Cinematography, 9 out of 10
A lot of camera shooting out of hand when needed. Well done shots and frames in tight spaces. Very well done lighting. Absolutely beautiful shots of the Highrise blocks which reminded me of the book Highrise by J. G. Ballard. Good close-ups of the characters showing their sweat and expressions. I found the camerawork and editting very well done. I also read in a review over here that there was nothing shocking. I totally disagree. The beating of one Hazmat guy with the bat, and the death of Sally and Hazel were quite chilling for me, as for the shootings of some tenants on the ground floor.
Music, 8 out of 10
Absolutely a good produced score which conveyed the dystopian feel and the urgency at the moments needed. It added absolutely to the eerie situations. Long, low sounding drones and the use of tribal percussion sections fitted well, as the tenants actually changed in some sort of tribalism. The music sounded nice, the subtitle music was amazing, well done.
Sound, 8 out of 10
The sound was great. Slamming of doors echoing through hallways, the dampened sounds when the actors are in their rooms, the sound of the violence, the muffled sounds of stuff happening in the corridors and so on added to the scary stuff the characters were dealing with. It seems that only the gunshots were done in postproduction, but most of the sounds and the dialogue was recorded on set and sounds very well.
If you are a fan of low budget films and, like me, have watched dozens of films with a 100 times more budget and which just felt overdone and dull in the end, don't let this pass. I think it was suprisingly good. Well done.