Film - The Incident

Chris Smith heads for Raindance Film Festival and witnesses The Incident...

Detective Marco chases brothers, Carlos and Oliver, into a stairwell. A gun goes off and Carlos is serious injured. Panic turns to confusion when a massive explosion rocks the building and the trio realise that the stairwell no longer has an exit. The floors endlessly loop and every door leading off it is sealed. The vending machine constantly restocks itself via unseen means and that just adds to the mystery. As Carlos inches closer to death, Oliver and Raul realise their problems have only just begun.

In 1983, a road trip across Mexico goes terribly wrong when Roberto mistakenly induces an allergic reaction in step-daughter Camilla. As his partner, Sandra and step-son Daniel race back home, they realise the deserted road they are travelling on never seems to end -again, moments after hearing a large, unexplained explosion. Confused, scared, and in desperate need for medical help, time is running out.

Isaac Ezban's directorial debut, The Incident is possibly one of the most interesting, compelling science-fiction films in recent years. Seemingly hailing from the very best The Twilight Zone ever produced, Ezban has taken such a simple concept (to be trapped with no hope of escape) and turned it into something truly mesmerising and...well. Weird, really.

Both groups are caught in a never-ending Escherian nightmare and the film doesn't shy away from showing the terrible toil this takes on those within it. As the decades roll away, Marco and the brothers, Roberto and his family have their humanity stripped away while all around lie the mountains formed by copies of whatever they entered the incident with. Both groups are driven to the edge of madness although some fare better than others - a point that sits at the heart of the film.

As attention-retaining and profound as Ezban tries to be (and is mostly successful) the explanation behind the incidents may not be to everyone's tastes. While it makes sense it is a tad convoluted and eager to make the film teach a lesson. It is not a bad way to end a film as original as this but be prepared to be disappointed if you don't accept it at face value.

Mind-bending and thought-provoking, this is a debut to take note of.



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