Simplicity makes this movie unique and enjoyable.

Rating: 10/10 (12 November 2001)

I first saw a flier for this movie in a pub downtown, and assumed it was just pretentious and didn't see it in the theaters. What a pity, because when I saw it on video, I was amazed. It was a beautiful, and very frightening film.
A lot of people didn't get the point when *SPOILER* the cubes purpose was not clearly revealed. This frustration is supposed to, and from my point of view, adds to the feelings of anxiety which the film makers intended the audience to feel. This film is intended to be a thinkers film, and not a hollywood sci-fi revamp of The Great Escape.
For a film with such a small budget, it did extraordinarily well. The cuts, with only minor exceptions, were very well done, as was the camerawork (which was done by a hand held for the most part!). The film is surreal, but at the same time coherent in its story and characters.
The surreality comes from the environment that the characters find themselves trapped in. A simple regular structure of cubes, with mechanical doors leading to each one. Some are trapped. However, the cube 'plays fair' - numbers on the door reveal the location, and whether the rooms are trapped, and the way to the exit. There is, of course, no explanation on how to interperet these numbers. The prisoners must discover this for themselves.
The simplicity of the environment is what makes this film unique and enjoyable. The environment is totally regular and very intimidating. It's alien nature comes from its mathematical regularity, and its uncompromising inhumanity due to this attribute.
However, although the cube is the central presence in the film, it is mostly there in an ambient sense. The film instead focuses on how the prisoners deal with their abduction and placement in this environment. It is a film about how people deal with each other, and how stupid people can be.
I loved the actors in this film, especially the woman playing Holloway -she played the neurotic hysteric with real flair. I just loved the line 'Somebody, builds a widget in Saskatoon without knowing what it's for, and then it ends up TWO MILES UNDER THE DESERT; AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT IN A DEATH MACHINE!'. Of course, explanations on the cubes purpose are scant. The closest answer comes from one member of the group which worked on designing part of it (without knowing its purpose). And the answer is frightening.
The sound track, if it could be called that is totally appropriate. It lacks melody and has a simple malevolent ambience, which I found a little reminiscent of movies like 'The Terminator' (I know they are very different movies). The sound effects inside the cube are frightening - strange mechanical sounds and reverberations add to its feel. Without them, the movie wouldn't have been half as good as it was.
This movie is a one of a kind and is definitely worth seeing. I don't think I'll see a movie quite like this again - however I hope I will, and I hope I'll find one somewhere.
By the way, when watching this movie, prepare to be disturbed.