Isolation
Sony
R4 DVD
As
Isolation opens we are travelling to an Irish farm in the middle of nowhere.
The scenery is dark and presented in muted tones, the countryside is somehow imbued
with a sense of threat and foreboding. Daniel has inherited the isolated farm
from his father and to make ends meet has agreed to be part of a specialized
cow breeding program. It is overseen by Orla, the local vet and a biogenetics
company whose representative is the creepy John.
As
Orla checks on the calf (half arm up the cows behind) she is bitten on the
finger and believes something is very wrong, but John is convinced the
fertility program is on schedule and the experiment continues. At the same time
Jamie and Mary have parked their caravan on the road outside the farm, they are
escaping Mary’s family as Jamie is less than popular with them. John is far
from impressed as the program is meant to be top secret. Soon the lives of this
widely divergent group will be linked in a way they least expect.
As
Daniel with emergency assistance from Jamie helps the cow give birth they
realize something terrible has occurred. The calf has large razor sharp teeth
and nearly bites through Daniel’s finger. Orla arrives to investigate and has
to put the calf and cow down. To her horror she finds the calf was already pregnant
and after an autopsy finds the calf was laden with malformed and mutated
foetuses. These creatures have skeletons on the outside and it seems at least
one has escaped.
But
that is not the worst of it, the modified genetic structure of these creatures
is able to cross species and Daniel, Orla and Jamie are infected. As the
property is quarantined a fight against time begins to destroy the mutated
creatures. It seems their mode of reproduction is to burrow into a body, grow
like a parasite and then claw their way out; not only are the cattle of Ireland
at risk but anyone who comes into contact could become infected or worst a
host.
This
is a highly successful film filled with dread and horror, somehow the writer
and director Billy O’Brien has been able to transform even simple images of the
countryside and cattle into embodiments of visceral terror. Through superb
cinematography using a predominance of shadows, an emphasis on night, rain and dilapidated
farm buildings we have the countryside as a place of threat. Cows and calves, not usually seen as images of
horror, are here turned into deformed monsters created by big business and
genetic engineering.
Once
again we have the classic science fiction theme exploring scientific
experimentation without limits undertaken by a biotech company using big
dollars to compromise vets and farmers alike. The emotive power of the
exploited animals battling against unethical scientists is well played out in a
well developed plot. Of course with current fears about BSE and CJD, foot and
mouth and swine flu this is a timely film and it offers an excellent balance of
storyline, character development and horror; the special effects are well done
and the “shock” factor of animals giving birth, getting put down and so on is
well used to create a very powerful story. While the storyline may not seem
especially new it is surprising just how successful this tale really is; I highly
recommend it.
Reviews appear on the Synergy website with
a single cover image. In the digital and print edition, reviews appear with
multiple images and with expanded content. We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy Magazine.
This review will appear in Volume 2 No.6 (2009) of the digital and
print edition of Synergy Magazine.
If you came to this page directly (and
missed our menu), click here to go to the
front page of Synergy Magazine Website or click the following link: http://www.synergy-magazine.com