Nuclear

The actors were superb. Only,...I still don't know who actually existed. I'm not even sure the main character was really there. I ran to the mirror several times and watched for grimaces as I pinched myself. Yeah, I was real. Why did they do this? What was the point? And no apologies. Talk about self immolation!

***WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD*** ****** ****** Well, I knew immediately the "Mother" was dead - so no big mystery there. Then, once the "Brother" found her, his death was realized immediately as well. Next, I found myself wondering whether or not Emma killed BOTH of them. Probably not, but it's hard to ignore the possibility. Furthermore, was the "Boy" she met actually real - or just another tool created by her mind to help deal with the situation? And finally - was she dead too? Lots to think about to include whether or not the movie was, in the end, actually any good.

The film is very slow. It starts off engaging, but it's not maintained. There is a twist in the middle, and I feel confused since then. Is there a second twist as well? I'm not sure.

*** SPOILER ALERT BIG TIME *** It starts out with a girl Emma, watching her brother almost kill their mother. She rescues the mother and they take off out to the country (not really sure what country it is, seemed to be England but then seems more like Russia). Then the brother tracks her down. I say her, because her mother was actually never there. So let's zip right to the ending. Turns out her mother did indeed die in the woods. And it also turns out the brother died in the woods as well. This must've happened one of two ways. One, when he approached her after killing the mother, she stabbed him and left him for dead. The alternate explanation is Emma killed them both. But if that's true, why are there scenes when the mother is looking for Emma on the bridge? If she's dead, she should only exist in Emma's imagination. Well, that's all I have. It wasn't really confusing, just a great exploration of the psyche of someone who suffered trauma. My rating of 5 is actually good in my book.

This is a beautiful metaphor of how trauma affects the psyche, in particular the harmful relationships within the family. The heavy atmosphere of the film reminded me of Eastern European arthouse cinema. The alienation, the terrifying feeling that something awful is about to happen (when in fact it has already happened) is elegantly conveyed by alternating images of vast and deserted spaces against the menacing background of an out of service nuclear power station. The isolated house where Emma finds shelter is just an allegory of her mental space tormented by fears. The toxicity is all-around, in the inner as well as the outer world, which makes the title of the film a brilliant choice. Talking about the permanent play of contrasts the director uses to tell this story, I loved the character of the strange boy. He is the reflection of Emma's desire to escape her innermost demons, elegantly expressed through the juxtaposition between the girl's attraction to dive into the depths of contaminated waters and the boy's dream to climb the heights of the threatening building. In conclusion, this is a very thoughtful and atmospheric film which delivers an original cinematic experience.

That account is a bot account that just rates every movie a 1 star with virtually the same wording on each review. Every film the account has reviewed is THE worst film ever and a stinker. The account needs removing. The film is a interesting but a quite slow paced drama, its well made with decent acting. The themes are escape and isolation and the mother daughter relationship. There is enough to keep you interested throughout but without it really having enough bite. 6/10

I will start by saying that if you are looking for an action packed blockbuster then this is not the film for you. It is reasonably slow paced but the acting talent of the cast members is what made me want to watch this through to the end. The young girl who becomes the central character brings a great performance to the film and I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next throughout. There was nothing too cliche about the film and it had some great twists. What made it for me was a combination of good script writing & direction, great acting and a dark narrative that kept me hooked til the end. Again, don't expect a white knuckle ride of a film because this is not. But if you're looking for a good story this is definitely worth watching