Review: The Divide

in

The Divide Movie PosterImagine looking out of the window of your high-rise apartment building and seeing a blast of nuclear hellfire coming your way. After having your breath taken away, what would you do? In a post 9/11 world, your reaction should come naturally: You would get the heck out of Dodge.

You make for the stairwell and are greeted by fellow tenants making their way to the ground floor. As you reach the ground floor, the door flies open, exposing you to heat that feels like the force of a thousand suns. Oh crap, now what? Head for the basement! Lucky for you, there is a basement, and only a few of your fellow tenants have made for the basement door. By the skin of your hair you force your way into the basement. You have made it to salvation as the metal door shuts behind you.

You are safe, but for how long? You will soon find out what it is like to be a survivor. You have entered the world of The Divide.

The threads that make up the fabric of civilized society may not be bound as tightly as you think. Given the right catalyst the threads can come unbound rather quickly. The Divide illustrates what happens when a patchwork of people are thrown together in a confined space, with a low amount of resources and no idea of whether the world they inhabit even exists. The movie, which originally screened in Austin during SXSW 2011, provides a fresh angle on how people react to a post-apocalyptic world.

Alexander Graham Bell once said, "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success." In this story, the survival of the basement denizens can be attributed to Mickey (Michael Biehn), the building supervisor. It seems Mickey has been preparing for some type of terrorist attack and already stocked the basement with supplies. We quickly understand that it was not Mickey's intention to share his shelter and food with others, but he now does so reluctantly.

Screenwriters Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean have constructed a rich set of characters who waste no time understanding the reality they will face. What will they eat? How will they deal with human waste? When will they be able to return to the surface? Along with practical issues, it doesn't take long for the characters to establish a pecking order. Mickey asserts his position immediately; this is his world and he makes that very clear. Eva (Laura German) and Sam (Ivan Gonzalez) are a married couple with issues, Marilyn (Rosanna Arquette) is a mother with a a young child. Josh (Milo Ventimiglia) and Adrian (Ashton Holmes) are brothers accompaniedby Bobby (Michael Eklund), Josh's lover.

I liked the diversity of the cast. Some clean-cut, some a bit grungy, some strong and some meek. This diversity helped demonstrate how people deal with the stresses of civilization's failure. Director Xavier Gens extracts some wonderful performances from his cast.

The Divide has a definite edge to it which adds to its authenticity. I did have a couple of minor issues with the movie, however. The first issue deals with the availability of electricity in the basement -- Mickey is able to supply electricity through a Rube Goldberg-like setup. The second issue is with a proposterous plot point introduced early in the second act but not adequately resolved.

Science fiction is not all about lasers and little green men. Science fiction examines the realties that change when little green men actually show up with lasers. The Divide realistically explores the realities of society falling apart in the face of nuclear holocaust.

The Divide screens twice this weekend at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. Saturday's screening will have actor Michael Biehn in attendance.