Isolation (2005)

On a remote Irish farm, five people become unwilling participants in an experiment that goes nightmarishly wrong.

Director:

Billy O'Brien

Writer:

Billy O'Brien

Stars:

Essie Davis, Sean Harris, Marcel Iures

9 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Essie Davis	...	Orla
Sean Harris	...	Jamie
Marcel Iures	...	John
Crispin Letts	...	Doctor
John Lynch	...	Dan
Ruth Negga	...	Mary
Stanley Townsend	...	Garda Hourigan

Storyline

The broken farmer Dan rents his farm for the scientist John from the Bovine Genetics Technology that is researching genetic modifications of cattle to increase its fertilization. The veterinarian Orla is bitten by the calf while helping the cow to deliver, and she feels that something went wrong with the experiment. During the night, the cow has a narrow passage for the calf, and Dan asks the young couple Jamie and Mary that is parked in a trailer in front of his farm's entrance to help him in the delivery. When the offspring is born, it bites Dan; Orla arrives later and realizes that it is a genetic anomaly and she sacrifices the calf. During the autopsy of the animal, she discovers that the fetus is pregnant and she destroys the freak hybrids. However, one of them escapes and attacks a cow first and Jamie later. When John arrives in the farm, he discovers that there is the danger of infection of human beings and decides to quarantine the spot. But one offspring is alive and need to ...

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Plot Keywords:

farm | cow | calf | infection | quarantine | 

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Taglines:

A horror film set on a lonely farm in rural Ireland

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence/gore, language and a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK Ireland USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 2006 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Elkülönítve

Filming Locations:

County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

£2,900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Four, Lions Gate Films, Bórd Scannán na hÉireann

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Inside the Barn: Creating Isolation (2007)

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Soundtracks

"I'm Going To Make You Love Me"
Performed by Jim Ford
From the album "Jim Ford - Harlan County" Sundown 1002; 1969
(p)(c)2000 Varèse Sarabande Records, Inc.
Under license from Varèse Sarabande Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Unexpectedly very well done.

About as believable as any good zombie film, Isolation excels at pacing, thorough examination and explanation, and coming full circle with all of the concepts it presents. Something that so many similar movies fail at.

If you are looking for a mindless slasher, watch something else, though there's slightly creepy nuances that beckon back to films like Alien. If you need that human relation-based plot, there might be enough here to keep you satisfied, but the film doesn't rely at all on developing side-stories of love and emotion. Characters have seemingly realistic reactions and make understandable decisions (unclouded by the need to make irrational decisions for the sake of building tension in the script). Scenes follow-through to conclusion and don't seem edited for time.

Isolation leaves no main plot thread unresolved, and stylishly elaborates on the scientific as well as horrific ideas as they presented. I don't think this will be a widely appealing film, but it didn't take any wrong turns. I don't recall any advertising for it. This might mean it's less Nike and more sandal, but there is a time when sandals are practical.

It's every bit as intelligent as the best X-Files episodes, and I wasn't able to find any cheese in the effects, though I half-anticipated it to devolve into Critters or a Texas Chainsaw movie. It didn't, however, and was able to maintain it's integrity throughout.

I thought it was a gamble when I chose to rent this over a well-advertised title. But I now feel it was entertaining enough and well worth picking up.