Isolation (2005)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Billy O'Brien

Writer:

Billy O'Brien (writer)

Release Date:

7 June 2006 (France)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A horror film set on a lonely farm in rural Ireland

Plot:

On a remote Irish farm, five people become unwilling participants in an experiment that goes nightmarishly wrong.

Plot Keywords:

Farm | Cow | Calf | Fetus | Intestines

Awards:

9 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Essie Davis	...	Orla
Sean Harris	...	Jamie
Marcel Iures	...	John
Crispin Letts	...	Doctor
John Lynch	...	Dan
Ruth Negga	...	Mary
Stanley Townsend	...	Garda Hourigan

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/gore, language and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

Canada:95 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK | Ireland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:16 | France:-12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:18 (DVD) | Portugal:M/16 | Greece:K-13 | Australia:MA (2009) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

Film Four

Movie Connections:

References The Tale of the Rat That Wrote (1999)

Soundtrack:

I'm Going To Make You Love Me

Very well made modern horror flick!

In a time when remakes, sequels and sequels to remakes are just about all the horror genre is getting, it's refreshing to a see a film that isn't merely a copy of another. This film isn't completely original, however, as it has shades of classics such as Alien and The Thing, but the base of the plot is compelling and the way that director Billy O'Brien patiently builds up the atmosphere and tension is impressive. The plot obviously takes influence from the agricultural crisis's we've had in Britain over the last few years; namely foot and mouth, in which the desire not to have people coming and going from various farms was strong. The film starts with a cow giving birth. There's obviously a problem from the outset, and it increases when the cow is born. The calf is somehow not right, and the farmers take the decision to kill it. Upon dissecting the dead calf, it turns out that there's a parasite growing inside of it, and we soon learn that this is the result of an experiment carried out with the farmer's say so by an immoral vet...

The film is slow to start, and the first half is really just build up. However, the build up isn't boring and the director generates suspense by never really letting us know what is going on until it is really needed. The second half the film is entirely different to the first as then we focus more on action and gore, and this actually goes well with the beginning of the movie. There aren't many characters in the film, and that means that there aren't a lot of death scenes; but this isn't too important as the central monster looks cool enough, and the death scenes are suitably nasty, even though they're not very gory. The locations the atmosphere is a big stand out, and the director does a good job of ensuring the farm location is integral to the plot and good use of the dirty and eerie locations is used at all times. The film is a long way away from being perfect; the camera-work annoyed me somewhat as Billy O'Brien obviously subscribes to the flashy camera-work school of thought, and sometimes you can't see what's going on. However, this is a well made and well acted little horror film that deserves more plaudits for the fact that it's not a direct rip off. Very well done!