Fique Acordado

I have enjoyed the movie for the most part. Setup was interesting, the eerie atmosphere of the potential experiment going bad is present and is made well.

The story is nothing new. It is scary if you think about, how something similar might be happening in real life. Certainly, it's not going the way it is going in the movie though, because it would be really practically unreasonable and unrealistic, like "ha-ha, we are evil pharma, now we gonna make yall suffer cause that's what we do, ha-ha". Don't even get me started on that 'drug' and the death scenes (to me it seems highly implausible and overdramatic)... Yet even distant possibility of similar experiments is enough to consider and is something to be alerted about.

Millie Brady is beautiful, but the characters are quite superficial. Can't say it's a big problem for a type of movie this is. We do get a small insight in each of their lives, but it's not dramatic enough to make us care really, apart from the main heroine (where we get bit more, while still not really enough). Most character interactions and dialogues are no good.

Execution is on a 'okay' level I'd say. Obviously, looks like budget is limited (the whole movie takes place in like 3 rooms, and each of them is sterile, which can be explained by this being a locked experimental facility and/or also low movie budget and the lack of attention to detail at the same time), yet the existing scenes seem to be well made. In other words, camera operators and editors did their job well. Overall, the picture is a pleasant view.

The ending is controversial to me. It is logical story wise and obviously we all root for the main character, yet ideologically it's empty and it's also unrealistic, so its not satisfying to anyone who wants some answers or an unexpected turn, or something similar.

All that said, somehow, I did enjoy it for the most part still, I guess my expectations were low and I really liked the setup and the image, and Millie Brady of course. So I'd say my scoring here is generous.

Claire (Millie Brady) participates in a drug trial run by Dr. Burke (Pollyanna McIntosh). It is in a basement level of Back Wood Pharmaceuticals and the group has to stay there for five full days.

It is a simple small Irish horror. It has a small set and a small cast. That's all fine. The concept is simple. Again, that's fine. My biggest issue is that this made me sleepy. It is the theory of the yawn. When one person yawns, it infects the rest of the group and everybody starts yawning. The movie is basically talking about a yawn and daring the audience to follow suit. It makes me sleepy. Otherwise, this is fine.

Why this low rating ? Has the pharmaceutical industry been triggered?! This is much better than i expected. A good scifi thriller with horror elements. There is some creativity here. It tried to be original and different even though i can't say it succeeded. But it's not a failure either. It's interesting, not a second wasted, it kept my attention until the ending. First half was better than the second, truth is, it promised more than it delivered. And it ended abruptly, like thay ran out of money, or they didn't know how to end it properly. But overall, it's enjoyable and the biggest quality here is acting : Always a pleasure to watch Millie Brady (THE LAST KINGDOM). The other actors were good but Brady carried the movie on her shoulders.

Not a MUST WATCH, but a solid scifi thriller for the fans of this genre.

I watched it recently and didn't expect much from the movie, but it was fairly decent. I enjoyed most of it, of course there are some shortcomings, but in the end i was pleasantly surprise. Main actress is believable but some of the supporting cast could do better. You get invested nonetheless by the story, which tackle some interesting point about some current issue in our society. Visually there is some interesting scene. Good suspense, some jump scare as well. Definitely a small budget movie, but it's good to see one that is done with love. We need more small movie like that, instead of the plethora of uninspired blockbusters. I give it an 8 to bump up the score, otherwise i think it's like a good 7. A good watch for horror/ suspense movie fan.

Double Blind: Claire (Millie Brady) is broke so she volunteers as a guinea pig to test an experimental drug. Along with six others she will be incommunicado for five days, Most of those involved have taken part in many tests, it is literally a job for them. When things start to go wrong, the doctor ( Pollyanna McIntosh) supervising the test contacts the pharmaceutical company executives but is told to continue and up the dose. As things worsen, Claire and the others cannot sleep and wish to quit the trial but are offered 30,000 euros each to continue, Eventually a participant dies, it becomes clear that the test subjects must stay awake if they are to survive (Not A spoiler, this is flagged in all publicity for the film). The survivors are then sealed inside the laboratory for at least 24 hours as an emergency protocol kicks in.. Some particularly gruesome death scenes with the victims looking as if they are suffering from a Rabies/Ebola hybrid disease. Claire and the others start to become paranoid due to lack of sleep and begin to mistrust each other. An interesting examination of drug tests on marginalised people counterposed with those on mice showing how to Big Pharma both are equally disposable. This idea is taken to some frightening lengths. Pretty good dialogue, especially when the participants record their musings to their phones: one: about how much compensation he might get due to the trial going wrong; others more bleakly leaving last messages, This "found footage" helps to round some of the characters' back stories. A disturbing, violent tale of horror, existential despair and exploitation. Directed by Ian Hunt-Duffy, Written by Darach McGarrigle. 8/10.