Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2021
Oxygen (2021 film)
Buy Oxygen (2021 film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Oxygen' is a 2021 French-language science fiction thriller film, directed and produced by Alexandre Aja, from a screenplay by Christie LeBlanc. As part of an American-French co-production, it stars Mlanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, and Malik Zidi. The film was released by Netflix on May 12, 2021.
Plot
A woman awakens in an airtight medical cryogenic unit, and discovers that she is trapped and that the unit's oxygen levels are falling rapidly. Suffering from memory loss, she does not remember who she is or how she got there. She is assisted by an advanced A.I. named M.I.L.O. (Medical Interface Liaison Officer), but it refuses to open the cryo unit without an administrator code. Using MILO, she is able to transmit outside the pod and contact emergency services. She provides them with the cryo unit's model and serial number, which are printed on the interior. Upon contacting the manufacturer they are told the unit was destroyed three years prior. Unable to recall her memories, she looks for clues about her past by searching for pictures and articles through the AI computer and finds her name, Elizabeth Hansen. She realizes she is a cryogenic doctor. She finds her husband, Lo Ferguson, and his contact number by accessing her social media, but when she calls his number a woman answers. She tells the woman that she is Lo's wife and demands to speak to him. The woman seems confused and hangs up.
As the oxygen level continues to fall, she begins hallucinating and tries to open the pod, only to receive an electric shock. She then receives a call back from the police but suspects they are hiding something from her, and disconnects. The unknown woman she called earlier rings and tells her that her husband is dead. She also gives her the administrator code to open the pod, but tells her she cannot open the pod or she will die. Elizabeth uses the code to give herself administrator access, but stops short of opening the pod when the unknown woman begs her to listen. Following the woman's instructions, Elizabeth accesses controls for a centrifuge, and turns the centrifuge off. She begins floating without gravity. After a brief explanation, it is revealed that she has been placed into hyper-sleep for a 34 years journey to a 14 light-year distant planet. Her secret mission is to travel to a new planet, as mankind will be extinct in the near future due to a deadly virus. The virus also killed her husband, Lo.
Heartbroken by the truth, she deduces the awakening was due to a processor overheating and realizes she must divert the functions of the processor to another processor assigned to non-essential functions, but initially fails since the data exceeds capacity. As time passes by and with oxygen levels fading, she prepares for suicide by attempting to open the pod. Shortly after, she discovers Lo is also in hypersleep in the damaged spaceship together with nearly 10,000 others, but she notices he lacks a scar on his forehead that he had before. Upon further investigation, through a video presented by an elderly version of her, it is revealed that she is a genetic clone with the original Elizabeth Hansen's personality and memories implanted, including memories of Lo. The woman she has been speaking to on earth is the original, and now elderly, Elizabeth Hansen.
MILO activates a euthanasia protocol due to a non-existent chance of survival, however, Elizabeth's clone manages to deactivate it and successfully diverts the functions of the processor and is put back in hyper sleep. The final scene shows the clones of Lo and Elizabeth on the new planet smiling, embracing each other.
Cast
* Mlanie Laurent as Elizabeth Hansen
* Mathieu Amalric as M.I.L.O.
* Malik Zidi as Lo Ferguson
Production
In July 2017, it was announced Anne Hathaway had joined the cast of the film and would serve as a producer on the film, with Echo Lake Entertainment and IM Global attached to produce the film (under the working title 'O2'), from a screenplay by Christie LeBlanc. In February 2020, it was announced Noomi Rapace had joined the cast of the film, replacing Hathaway, with Franck Khalfoun directing the film, and Alexandre Aja serving as producer. In July 2020, Mlanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric and Malik Zidi joined the cast, replacing Rapace, with Aja serving as director replacing Khalfoun, and Adam Riback and James Engle executive producing through Echo Lake Entertainment. In February 2021, the completed film was reported to have received the new title 'Oxygen'.
Filming
Principal photography began in July 2020.Release
'Oxygen' was released on Netflix on May 12, 2021.
Reception
The website's critics consensus reads, "'Oxygen' gets the white-knuckle maximum out of its claustrophobic setting, with director Alexandre Aja and star Mlanie Laurent making this a must-watch thriller for sci-fi fans."
References
Buy Oxygen (2021 film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2021