The Divide

I had to crash Sunday night and missed the world premiere of this apocalypse survival film.  Monday night, after catching the early showing of John Oliver's New York Stand-Up (Live), I was able to fit this in.

Some spoilers may follow.


Set almost entirely in the basement of a New York apartment building, the design, lighting, and mood of the locale was perfect for an apocalypse psychological survival film. (In the Q&A, the directed noted that he used the same set designer as Moon.) The cast, too, was very dedicated; the film was shot in sequence, and stars Milo Ventimiglia and Michael Eklund lose 20 lbs over the course of the filming to simulate the effects of radiation sickness. (Though note that Lauren German and Michael Biehn seem to be less effected by the radiation and barely show any effects until later in the film.)

The problems with the film are the gaps in the plot. Somewhat early on, the survivors are found by radiation-suit wearing "soldiers" with automatic rifles. They kidnap a girl, then attempt to wipe out the other survivors. A fight ensues, the survivors win, and they have a working radiation suit to explore with. What they find is puzzling and completely unexplained; after a single scene the entire sub-plot is never visited again.

Meanwhile, the characters are supposed to be shown falling to the "Lord of the Flies"-style mental effects of isolation along with the physical effects of radiation sickness. As I mentioned, they handle the physical imagery intermittently well. The mental seems to come in jumps and stutters, with some characters (Marilyn) degenerating from one scene to the next, while others (Sam) seem to bounce in and back.

Finally, I just don't get the choices made by the lead character (Eva) at the end. I think the "divide" is supposed to mean many things - the divide between those who made it into the basement (and survived) versus those just outside who died; the divide between those who suffer from radiation and those who don't; the divide between those who can keep it together under crisis and those who fall apart; and finally, the divide between those who can shed their humanity to survive and those who can't. I think Eva is supposed to be shown crossing the divide, but it really doesn't feel right for her character given her other options.

Overall, I don't rate movies, but if I did I'd give this one a B-.

The Divide
2011, 110 minutes, directed by Xavier Gens

I was surprised that the director gave the budget during the Q&A.  Usually they won't do that, and I hope he didn't get in trouble.  ($8-10mil)