Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews

Director Alexandre Aja
Screenplay Christie LeBlanc
Starring Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi

Oxygen is a thought provoking and intense thriller of a woman named Elizabethwho wakes in a cryogenic cell with no memory on who she is and how she got there. There is a computer AI named MILO (Amalric) who provides for her just enough information to be useless. She begins to panic, but somehow is able to make an outward call.

Laurent is excellent in her portrayal as someone who has more to do with her situation than she initially realizes. She has a massive weight to carry, as her interactions are extremely limited by both network issues and the understanding levels of those with whom she can converse.

There is not much more one can say about the film without giving things away, but Aja is skilled at utilizing all of the space allotted as well as inter weaving flashed images that hold clues and possible illusions. LeBlanc’s plot is complex enough to give life outside of the confines of the box the story starts in, and that is impressive.

Aja has always had a talent for visuals. His weak spot had been story in the past. That is solved with LeBlanc. If you can handle a story with real tension and digital countdowns, start here.

(**** out of *****)