The Divide

The Divide has a fairly decent premise, a thin promise - at the very least - and jumps right into it. There's no screwing around here, be that as a result of a low budget or a focused director. It doesn't matter. New York is under attack, explosions are everywhere and building are crumbling. We follow a group of survivors in an apartment building escaping to the basement, where they bar the door behind them and survive. There's a bit of food and water to survive with, and some added mystery, but the most important part the survivors have is tension - and cabin fever.

It's a nuclear attack, and their biggest fear is radiation. Just as they get settled in, their hole in the ground is intruded upon by (government) soldiers dressed in shining white armour and gear, with gigantic guns. They steal the only child and leave, understandably upsetting everyone. I won't get into many more spoilers, but you should be aware that this movie finishes with many unanswered questions. In fact, it's fairly gloomy and a bit of a let down, although it's a welcome escape as I grew pretty tired of the movie near the end.

It's cabin fever through and through, and the drama is forced by putting contrasting characters in a tight space and let them go wild. Things go too far, and really, too far with weirdness and violence. The movie lacks a certain polish, the actors a certain skill, and a story to adhere to whatsoever. I feel as though these people quickly degenerate into savages, with a quick turn to torture and sexual deviance that must have pre-existed in these people. There is no good indication of the passage of time, which doesn't help: for all I know these people were in this area for a week, before they started going crazy and chopping people's fingers off. Or I may have missed all that, as I was casually playing Scrabble on my iPhone throughout. I'm not sure if that's the fault of the movie, or my ability to pay attention to movies in general anymore. Overall, relatively disappointing, and completely forgettable.