The Divide
In the wake of a disaster, the tenants of an apartment building turn on one another in this thriller from director Xavier Gens. New York is hit by an unexpected nuclear attack, and Eva (Lauren German) and her husband Sam (Ivan Gonzalez) rush to the basement of their apartment block, believing the cellar is their best bet for safety. They soon discover the basement is the domain of building manager Mickey (Michael Biehn), who is a survivor of the 9/11 attacks and doesn't put much trust in anyone. Convinced venturing outside will kill them all, Mickey refuses to let anyone leave, and Eva and Sam are trapped with macho bully Josh (Milo Ventimigila), Josh's loudmouthed pal Bobby (Michael Eklund), Josh's soft-spoken brother Adrien (Ashton Holmes), high-strung single mother Marilyn (Rosanna Arquette), Marilyn's daughter Wendy (Abbie Thickson), and an impatient man named Delvin (Courtney Vance). As the days in the basement turn to weeks and supplies of food and water run low, the neighbors become increasingly tense and violent, with the men and women forming cliques and turning against one another. The Divide received its world premiere at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival. more..
Director: Xavier Gens
Starring: Michael Biehn, Milo Ventimiglia, Laura German,Rosanna Arquette, Courtney Vance
These characters are at best doodles, and none of the performances are able to tease more depth out of them.
Director Xavier Gens seems to have set out to fashion a taut, under-siege thriller, but he never lets the innate drama of the situation play out; too often, events are accompanied by loud thumps and whooshes on the soundtrack.
It's doom that we're meant to feel here. And repulsion. I hate to say, but I shrugged.
We wait, from one cringe-inducing, hide-your-face-from-the-screen act after another, to see how much worse the behavior will become.
As the loosely aligned band of survivors turns into a pack of sociopathic loners, the only reasonable conclusion is that they were all pretty rotten to begin with.
Edinburgh International Film Festival (2011)
Fant-Asia Film Festival (2011)
Best Feature Film
SXSW Film Festival (2011)
Steven Kostanski
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival (2011)
Best Feature Film
Toronto After Dark Film Festival (2011)
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