(2002) ** ½
This quick French film (only 70 minutes) was off to a great start, but turned into another movie I was disappointed in at the end. A group of strangers awake in a white room, with no visible exit, and no recollection as to how they ended up there. They are soon greeted by a voice projected over a speaker outlining the rules of their new residence and how they can make it out alive. They are informed that anyone who breaks any of the said rules will be executed and removed from the residence.
I loved the intensity in some of the scenes. I even enjoyed the slower moments when nothing was happening other than waiting. This added to the tenseness of the film because I felt just as frustrated as the hostages awaiting their next instruction and, like them, still having no idea why they were there or how or if they would escape. It picked up towards the end and got really crazy, and then boom, the lame ending is introduced. This was one of those moments when less would have been more. I actually would have been content with no explanation at all.
I do think it’s still worth checking out, and I’d like to rate it higher, but that ending just didn’t sit right with me. It ultimately ruined a film I was really enjoying.
