Phase 7 - DVD

Film: Coco (Daniel Hendler) and his seven-month pregnant wife Pipi (Jazmin Stuart) are amazed when their apartment building is quarantined one day. The couple, who have been dealing primarily with their own problems, are now forced to come to terms with their neighbors. But as the situation drags on and supplies begin to run low, tensions within the housemates rise as well. Only in his neighbor Horacio (Yayo Guridi) does Coco seem to have found a reliable confidant, who seems surprisingly well prepared for a situation like this. But the more time Coco spends with Horacio and gets drawn into his conspiracy theories, the more his relationship with Pipi suffers. And since things don't seem to be easing up outside the sealed-off apartment block, it's only a matter of time before the situation in the house finally escalates.

Phase 7 begins like a typical epidemic thriller, with particular similarities to the Spanish horror film [rec] striking, in which an apartment building was also quarantined. But while there the horror broke out very quickly, Argentine filmmaker Nicolas Goldbardt takes much more time in his story. Slowly he tightens the tension, intensifies the claustrophobic impression and leads the whole thing to a gripping finale. At the same time, especially in the first half, a certain ironic undertone can be discerned, which doesn't really want to conform to the somewhat harder and darker moments, but which gives the film a very special touch.

The mix of gritty end-times thriller and black comedy full of biting irony may not work for every viewer. But those who can overlook the somewhat unbalanced overall picture are guaranteed to be won over by the many strengths that director Goldbardt is quite capable of playing to. Especially noticeable is the bow to old master John Carpenter, which is not only reflected in the claustrophobic setting, but especially in the film's score. And indeed, in some moments Goldbardt manages to reach the intensity of cult classics like Assault - Anschlag bei Nacht. On the other hand, these isolated high points also highlight the isolated weak points of the production more clearly, something the film doesn't really benefit from in the end.

However, while not all aspects of the production may work, the bottom line is that Phase 7 is a fairly tense, well-crafted, and end-times thriller that is laced with some original ideas, and is especially compelling with some intense moments in the second half. Apart from a few bloody shock effects, this is a rather quiet film that can be recommended to lovers of apocalyptic fare of a different kind. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The Argentine end-time vision presents itself on the DVD in good technical implementation. Admittedly, there are small blurs and slight image noise in the numerous darker scenes. But overall the picture can score with a good colour balance, a decent overall sharpness and coherent black levels. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is dominated by dialogue and the restrained ominous music in most scenes, but here and there purposefully used sound effects provide a good surround feeling. Good.

Extras: Bonus features include just under nine minutes of cut scenes, as well as the trailer for the film and more programming tips.

Conclusion: Phase 7 is a claustrophobic, end-times thriller whose ironic, almost satirical undertones give it a very special feel, reminiscent of John Carpenter's early work in its best moments. The DVD presents the thriller shot in Buenos Aires in good technical quality, only the bonus material is a bit meager with some cut scenes and trailers. Lovers of end time visions of a different kind can safely risk a look here. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp