Oxygen is an intense and emotional science-fiction thriller using a minimalist style. A thriller set inside a woman’s mind, being released in 2021, Aja is known to have directed it. The lead actress’s captivating performance taught viewers much about human resilience.
A woman is the first to wake up in a futuristic medical pod isolated and in a state of amnesia. She realizes, first to gain consciousness in a solitary pod, that there is an oxygen supply which must be preserved. In an effort to breathe, she has to find a way to escape, or she will die a slow and painful death.
Time is of the essence, and for this reason she must converse with M.I.L.O. M.I.L.O. is an AI and a systems administrator whose job is to monitor vital signs and manage medical pods. Oxygen is controlled by M.I.L.O. During the sequence of their communication, she, with M.I.L.O’s, along with the rest of the world, is able to uncover clues about her life.
Remembrance sinks in slowly like sand through an hourglass. Her name is Elizabeth Hansen, a cryogenic specialist. Although the process of uncovery has her unearth her degree titles, she remains disconcerted. Her initial and most basic of assumptions of being confined within a hospital on Earth turns out to be completely disconfirmed. Indeed, her pod is affixed to her own personal spacecraft, one of many in a convoy-like configuration ferrying deep-space colonizers on a one-way trip to a safe haven world, an other world, believed to be the answer, the counter to a crisis on Earth.
To her utter astonishment, it dawns on her that she is not the Elizabeth of the memories she considers her own. Rather, it is engineered, “ a Twilight Zone” version that is an attempt to carry on human life on a new world. The original Elizabeth has likely been left behind on Earth. She is not a carrier, that self has been an inconceivable burden and her memories a simultaneous rupture. The intricacy of human existence she is left to confront.
Even when confronted with overwhelming odds, Elizabeth will not surrender. With her resourcefulness, intelligence, and willpower, she breaks through some of the pod’s automated restrictions and commences communication with Earth. With intense focus and structured thought processes, she stabilizes the oxygen supply and accepts her responsibility in the mission. Ultimately, she decides to live, work for herself, and uplift her new life, which is a privilege she now has.
The centre of the movie is a one-person performance, where the success of the movie is resting largely on the supporting role of the actress.
Mélanie Laurent is the one to take on the role of Elizabeth Hansen and is commended for the emotional depth she brings to the role through her acting as well as the intensity and sheer focus she brings during every moment of the movie. Her emotional range is astounding where she showcases a realistic celebration of life through her disillusion, trepidation, resolution and optimism.
The calm and rational voice of the medical autonomous intelligence system, M.I.L.O is played by Mathieu Amalric. He is able to bring a soothing voice to Elizabeth’s ascending stress and emotional responses.
The director, Alexandre Aja, has historically been known for his specialization in thrillers and suspense. In Oxygen, he seems to break from the traditional action in lullers to focus on the psychological and emotional immersion aspects instead.
The profound and stylistic script of Christie LeBlanc dove into an intimate futuristic reality. Every moment mattered in the screenplay and every word veil worth demanding the viewers attention and leaving them swamped into what reality is and what is textured reality.
The music, which illustrates the other side of the coin in addition to the visual representation, is also suspenseful and emotional. Like suspense surrounding and suffocating, the sound also cleverly divides tides which tides of gradualness for quietness and period of reflections.
Thematic Message
Thematic Message Oxygen has the prospect to illustrate multiple meanings for the viewers which can turn the film into not a mere suspenseful survival tale.
- Isolation and Self Recognition
Identity is the foremost and core aspect which pardon in the film, Oxygen. Lizabeth at the beginning is completely blank slade and as she dig deep for answers she has to face the reality of stem questions: if I am a copy and am I if. The answer to this question lies in the fragments of memories which makes the person. The viewers are led to answer, and think what is a person with the defining borders of memory, feeling, and something else.
- The absence of self and the presence of others. The presence of Self Lizabeth. Would a person be able to survive not feeling her presence deeply in the bones? The answer is this question is no. She reveals the dire lack of self and the presence of others. With no human the smart assistant, is enough for. The is an example of how we can in a dire situation, obtain psychic relief and emotional rescue.3. Survival and Resilience
The tale occupies a unique position in the framework of universal resilience. Having been bestowed with a life-threatening scenario, Elizabeth opts no to freeze. She, instead, applies strategic and obstinate efforts to stay alive. Her path reinforces the theory that hope exists, even in the most despairing conditions.
- Technology and Ethics
The movie poses a more general problem regarding the potential consequences of newer technology. The mechanisms of cloning, transferring memories, and artificial intelligence showcased in the movie stir the audience to think more deeply about the moral issues connected to these developments. The narrative does not provide answers but rather necessitates deeper consideration.
- Rebirth and Second Chances
In the end, Oxygen serves as the tale of a new beginning. Elizabeth gets the opportunity to reset life on a distant world. The fact that she chooses to live and welcome her new future personifies the innate human drive to change, evolve and most importantly, start afresh.
Critical Reception
The critics and audience review Oxygen positively in the same breath. Oxygen is praised for the fluid organization of the story, emotional nuances, and of course, the acting rendered by Mélanie Laurent.
The film was acclaimed for generating gripping suspense in an incredibly constricted area. Since a majority of the action occurs in a cramped pod, the filmmakers utilized imaginative cinematography, lighting, and sound to hold the audience’s attention. The underlying urgency and personal nature of the tension in the film was due to the minimalist framework.
Particularly commendable was Laurent’s performance. Although dominantly featured in a monoprolog, Laurent’s ability to capture the attention of the audience through her interpretation of Elizabeth in the narrative was remarkable.
The film was praised not only for its science fiction elements, but also for its ability to tell an emotionally resonant story. The narrative, albeit weaving in imaginative technology and galactic travel, remains profoundly rooted in human experience.
To conclude, Oxygen stands out for its intelligence, drama, and moving story, merging all facets of the genre. The film strongly reframes the parameters within which science fiction is drilled, focusing on the drama, emotion, and mystery of the narrative within the primary themes. Posing profound questions about the nature of humanity, memories, and choices, the film’s premise invites viewers to self-reflect.
The film stands apart as an accomplished piece of art owing to an impeccable central performance in conjunction with a crafted screenplay and a comprehensible directional approach. Oxygen shows that even the most confined of spaces can hold the grandest of ideas — that even in the deepest murk of solitude, hope can access the most withheld corners of our minds.
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