Rupture

A hauntingly committed performance by Noomi Rapace dominates the screen here as director Steven Shainberg adds another peculiarity to his resume that also includes S&M love story Secretary (2002) and Fur: an Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006). You may forgive him if he sometimes overreaches with this surreal dive into body horror sci-fi where a single mother (Rapace) is systematically exposed to her worst fears after being kidnapped by a mysterious organisation. She is held in a sinister medical facility where the aim is, not to frighten her to death, but to scare her beyond it for a rather surprising biological purpose. However, she is more resourceful than they expect in a spooky shocker that makes the most of its prowling camerawork and limited special effects to create intensity and a suffocating atmosphere, as the doggedly determined heroine struggles to comprehend her grim situation and escape. The explanation of her plight - involving a theory of evolution - is a little confused and doesn't quite live up to the absorbingly forceful journey before it, yet the film is intriguing and different enough to earn its stripes in the transformation genre.