Oxygen (2021): A Sci-Fi Thriller That Left Audiences Breathless
Oxygen (2021) directed by Alexandre Aja is a French survival thriller that garnered a lot of attention and appreciation for its story and captivating themes. The film centers around Dr. Elizabeth Hansen (played by Mélanie Laurent) who finds herself in a cryogenic pod. Losing memory of who she is and why she is there, the pod starts to run out of oxygen. She is forced to jog her memory in order to devise a way out before she suffocates.
Plot Summary
Like we have said, the film starts with Dr. Hansen regaining consciousness in a pod that looks like it is from the future. She is confused and doesn’t remember who she is or the situation and in a moment of horror, figures out that the oxygen is out. With the help of an A.I. system called M.I.L.O., she starts to pieces parts of her memory. She discovers that she is a cryogenicist who is on a mission to another planet and learns, to her horror, that her husband, Léo Ferguson, is dead. The complexity of the true identity and the mission adds to the story, building to a startling and emotional climax.
Fan Theories and Alternate Endings
The ending of the film invites speculation and theories regarding its conclusion. One of the most popular theories centers around the idea of a simulation. Yet another theory contemplates that Dr. Hansen’s experiences are a part of her subconscious dealing with her guilt and loss. All these theories explore the psychological aspects of the film’s open conclusion.
Director’s Intentions
Director Alexandre Aja stated that the short ending of the film was designed as such to provide the audience the opportunity to think and come up with their own answers. He claimed to want to highlight the psychological elements of the film as Aja suggests that the audience will think more deeply about isolation, existential questions, and identity. Aja anchors the film’s psychological dimensions in existential questions that aim to stimulate thoughts on isolation and the intricacies of the human mind.
Behind the Scenes
The production period of Oxygen was particularly challenging to complete, especially with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this film, the vaccination rate among the cast and crew was used as a determinant to allow more or less access to certain sites. All this was done to avoid contamination. The crew, challenged with their own set of problems, created a powerful, innovative representation of the claustrophobic environment of the cryogenic pod.
Conclusion
Oxygen is an engaging exploration of contemporary sci-fi and thriller genres addressing intricate issues of memory, identity, and the primal instinct of survival. It is the interplay of the film’s narrative with the performances of the actors that stimulates and retains the audience’s attention and prompts further commentary and interpretation. This film delivers an experience that is truly special in the genre, particularly for the psychological and existential themes it so boldly engages.
Watch Free Movies on YesMovies-us.online