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

Experiments gone awry on a desolate farm have deadly results.

Billy O'Brien pulls no punches and avoids no arm-in-bum shots in this tension-filled, dark film. The first portion of the movie, the viewer is left in a fog of confusion, constantly trying decipher exactly what's happening on the farm. The high level of confusion felt by the viewer perfectly parallels that of the protagonist--Dan, played adequately by John Lynch. Though exactly what "went wrong" is never truly established, its effects certainly are and lead to a horrible series of events.

Marcel Iures played John, the conductor of said experiments. His performance pushes the film towards its climax. He provides a dark and knowing force in the film albeit a somewhat typical mad scientist mold that he fits into.

O'Brien's greatest achievement is the reality in which he creates his film. His frequent use of a hand-held camera lends it a voyeuristic, documentary type of feel. He also utilizes a number of point of view shots to keep the viewer as close to the unappetizing going-ons as possible. That along with the low-key acting creates a very realistic portrait of farm life. Still, a threat found on a bovine farm can only be so terrifying. And though the idea is refreshingly original, the writing is still average at best. The characters share too many traits and seem to lack interests or goals outside of mere survival.