Tonight on Netflix: Rated 3.7/5, One of the Best Sci-Fi Movies in the Last 5 Years!

After keeping us on edge with films like “High Tension,” “Mirrors,” “The Hills Have Eyes,” and “Piranha 3D,” director Alexandre Aja has shifted gears to a nail-biting science fiction film titled “Oxygen.” In this film, French actress Mélanie Laurent plays a woman trapped inside a cryogenic chamber, with her oxygen supply dwindling to just 35%. The suspense is palpable!

Not for the Claustrophobic!

Laurent portrays Elizabeth Hansen, a young woman who awakens alone in a cryogenic unit. She has no memory of who she is or how she ended up locked inside a capsule the size of a coffin. As her oxygen starts to run out, she must piece together her memory fragments to escape this nightmare.

Alexandre Aja crafts a truly breath-taking thriller, quite literally, with this off-the-beaten-path science fiction piece. Mélanie Laurent delivers a haunting and fully committed performance, arguably one of her finest, carrying the film’s weight on her shoulders for 100 intense minutes.

It’s worth noting that “Oxygen” was initially intended to be shot in English starring Noomi Rapace. However, the Covid pandemic disrupted these plans, leading the filmmaker and his crew to relocate the project to Molière’s homeland, filming at the Kremlin studio in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne.

A Grueling Shoot

The filming of “Oxygen” was wrapped up in 25 days. Mélanie Laurent had to remain confined in a tiny cryogenic capsule throughout this period. The few exterior scenes were shot in just one week.

While the crew pushed their limits, Laurent spent about nine hours each day lying in a suffocating space measuring only about 32 square feet, allowing herself just 20 minutes of break time. Her physical and mental stamina not only added to the film’s tension but also immerses the audience in a state of near suffocation.