Film Reviews

Isolation

• Rating:
• Director: Billy O'Brien
• Starring: John Lynch
• Details: UK / Ireland / 95mins (16s).

A rule of thumb for Irish films should be never give The Blizzard Of Odd ammunition - Isolation could be a double bluff, though, as Colin Murphy is going to take one look at this and say 'too easy'. The words 'horror' and 'cow' should never really be put in the same sentence but debut writer/director Billy O'Brien did and ended up with a new genre in the scary movie pantheon - the cow-horror. It all kicks off promisingly enough: lonely farmer Dan (Lynch) is employed by malevolent doctor (Letts) to oversee biological experiments on cows on his isolated farm. These experiments backfire when one particular cow gives birth to a calf that is already pregnant with a vicious parasite that kills on sight. Meanwhile, two runaway itinerants (Harris and Negga), camp just outside Dan's gate and get caught up in the whole escapade. It may be a preposterous set up but Billy O'Brien must be given the fair play award in holding the whole show together for as long as he can. Keeping suspense and jitter levels high, O'Brien shouldn't be written off on the back of this film as there are enough moments in this film that puts his career hopes in the 'maybe' pile. But then, almost immediately, the first-timer loses the run of himself and turns his film into Alien meets.. well, a cow. In all fairness, how is anyone supposed to take the idea seriously? If it's supposed to be a knowing homage to low-budget schlock horror, then no one told the cast, who play it straighter than Pat Kenny in an over-starched suit. Lynch and co. do their best with what's available, and it's their performances - along with O'Brien's moody atmosphere - that keep the film alive as long as possible. Gary Larson was right all along - cows are not to be trusted.

Review by Gavin Burke