Oxygen
NETFLIXJust like the films Buried and 127 Hours, which came before it, Oxygen thrives by putting its protagonist through as much trauma as it can whilst taking place in just one simple location. However, the twist that director Alexandre Aja brings to this story is by turning it into science fiction.
Set at some point in the future, a woman (Mélanie Laurent) wakes up in what she believes to be a cryogenic pod in a hospital ward. Conveniently for the tension, but inconveniently for her, she has no memory of how she came to be in the pod or how she could have woken up. To further make matters worse, she learns that her oxygen levels are decreasing rapidly. Her main form of assistance and communication to the outside world is in the form of MILO (voiced by Mathieu Amalric), the cryogenic pod’s sufficiently chilling AI.
Oxygen plays out in precisely the manner previous films using this narrative device have. The real joy comes from the eerily clinical and artificial nature of its futuristic setting. Reveals come thick and fast, and any person the woman manages to contact can either be a friend or foe. It is even harder to distinguish where the ultimate reveal is heading due to many red herrings thrown in courtesy of the oxygen-deprived hallucinatory state Laurent's character finds herself in. This even puts into question her own memories and flashbacks. However, Oxygen does reach an unfortunate boiling point, and it is about twenty minutes too long for its own good. The ending that Aja chooses to settle on is a respectable one, but the final few moments leading up to it are far too convenient for it to be a genuinely satisfactory conclusion.
As well as this, it is hard to imagine any of the events of the film being nearly as effective if it were not for Laurent’s performance. She gets to wield a breadth of talent here, ranging from hysterical panic to unrivalled determination and even getting the chance to channel a dry wit in retort to the unfeeling MILO. Her job is not just to present a character but also to present the story itself. It is her paranoia that creates unease, and it is her resolve that reveals much-needed answers. Laurent constructs a great protagonist, and she does it all without ever standing up.
When broken down in detail, Oxygen does not make much sense, with the film working best when it keeps its twists hidden. However, at a surface level, it is a compelling thriller. Aja creates a sense of grim claustrophobia within every frame, and Laurent’s fear brings us even further into this nightmare. These two talents blend together competently and, for the most part, provide a reasonably thrilling adventure.