Cutterhead

Cutterhead (2018)

An industrial accident occurs underground and people are trapped. The fear of death and the fight for survival are realistically based and not portrayed in an over the top fashion, like in many disaster movies. This is probably what would happen in real life. If you are looking for spectacle, seek out any recent catastrophe movie by Dwayne Johnson. This is more low key and in some ways uneventful, yet will still manage to hold your attention throughout. The filming in real locals gives the film a sense of realism and later, dread. 8 out of 10 stars.

Danish novice writer/director Rasmus Kloster Bro makes his first full length feature film debut, and does pretty good.

Decent story - screenplay could have been a little tighter, the directing/camera work not bad at all for working with confined spaces - especially towards the end. Sound was a little off - could hear more equipment sounds than the dialogue. Length and pacing was perfect, with non-stop suspense in the last three quarters.

A solid 7/10 from me

Before I started watching this movie I had no clue what I was going to watch. At one point, in the beginning, I just thought it was going to be a documentary about drilling. That says enough about the acting, in a good way, it all looked natural and unforced. So to me the acting was good, a positive point in this movie. As for the story it is captivating as are most of the movies with claustrophobic scenes. There aren't much people that would feel anxiety when locked up in that tiny space when danger outside is imminent. Some scenes were just a bit too long though, even though I get it that they wanted to create that desperation feeling. Nevertheless those scenes were sometimes a bit dragged out. For the rest it's entertaining, and you will comment out loud some scenes, like we all do when we imagine ourselves in some distressing situations.

Saw this at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2019 (BIFFF for intimates). It is not a Horror or Thriller in the standard sense: no squeaking doors, no jump scares, no suddenly appearing ghosts, none of those clichés. Its tense may be felt nevertheless. We are constantly unsure how this story will end, given the deadly dangers awaiting the threesome we follow underground when disaster strikes.

Nice view on building operations underground, in this case construction works for the Copenhagen Metro. The setup looks like an organized chaos, but that is only the first impression and very unjust. These people know what they do, even when things go terribly wrong. And if all else fails, they can also count on salvage procedures and rescue teams. Panic and hasty decisions are out of the question, as theses are mostly counter productive.

Rie, our resident reporter, however, detests waiting for a rescue team. She wants action, even when it is risky, or when it violates regulations and safety procedures. She also goes against technical knowledge her fellow victims have, just wanting to do "something". She even lies about wanting to pee and needing some privacy, when in fact she prepares herself (out of sight) for an action the others would frown upon had they known her intentions.

Being there for PR purposes only, Rie's presence as a guest may be a nuisance, but she is a perfect vehicle for telling the story and following its developments from nearby. It gives us ample chance to understand why some things are done the way they are done in a working environment that we seldom get to see. As such, the screenplay is a success and seems the best (even the only??) way to sustain the story for one and a half hour, without risking to bore us. It clearly showcases the differences between people in Denmark, with Rie as piece de resistance in this movie, and the underground workers of all sorts of nationalities, who are there as the work pays very well (relative in their own country) and take the disadvantages (far away from family, problems with the language, risky and dirty working conditions) in addition and as inevitable.

Despair. Madness. Fear. Panic.

These are the feelings that would surface if I were in a similar situation. This story is the kind of thing you read about in the news when workers become trapped underground, with their workplace becoming their tomb. I ask myself: how horrible can the situation become for these people? The answer: pretty damn horrible.