The Divide REVIEW

"Goddamnit, will someone swat that fly?"

Release Date: 20 April 2012
18 | 108 minutes
Distributor: Momentum Films
Director: Xavier Gens
Cast: Lauren German, Michael Biehn, Rosanna Arquette
Official website: www.totalfanhub.com/the-divide

Those under the impression that every aspect of potential Armageddon has already been explored on the cinema screen might find themselves surprised by The Divide.

Oh sure, at first the plot feels remarkably familiar – after the sudden outbreak of nuclear war, a ragtag group of radioactive and undernourished entities share a carefully constructed bomb shelter together — but things gradually become grotty and grotesque. Whereas previous end-of-the-world epics, such as Doomsday, The Road and 2012 shied away from depicting the truly terrifying scenario of the final fragments of humanity raping, foraging and wasting away, The Divide wants to rub your face in it.

Directed by the French splatter-master who also helmed the fantastic slasher flick Frontiers, The Divide is a nasty little outing that wallows in menace, molestation and menstrual blood. And that’s just for starters. Boasting a solid cast, including Aliens star Michael Biehn as a paranoid 9/11 veteran and Rosanna Arquette as a single mother who undergoes a horrendous amount of torture, it presents a thoroughly pessimistic picture of humanity.

Of course, that begs the question of why you would want to watch. Well, thanks to the presence of a likeable leading lady (Hostel II star Lauren German), and the gradual tightening of claustrophobic terror — pretty much the entire movie is confined to one set — The Divide proves itself to be a rough but rewarding experience. Even so, you may want to take a shower afterwards to wash away the effects of this post-apocalyptic nightmare.

Calum Waddell

Watch the trailer for The Divide.
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