Setinanundergrounddungeoninhabitedbybundled,raggedhumanbeings,afterthenuclearholocaust.Thestoryfollowsthewanderingsofaherothroughthesituationsofsurvival.PeoplewaitfortheArktoarriveandrescuethemwhiletheirhabitatfallsapart.
Delvingdeepintothedustyandlongabandondedvaultsofb-cinemainsearchoflostgemsalwaysleavesmewithabittersweettaste.Ononehandthediscoveryofunexpectedgemswherenoonewouldthinkthempossibleisarewardingexperience.Ontheotherhandthoughitmakesonewonderhowmanyoftheseremarkablelow-budgetoddities,personalloveaffairsofdirectorsneverquitefamousandnowallbutforgotten,havealmostforeverslippedfrommemory?
nanycasewhatwehavehereisalittlepost-apocalypticgemfromPolandthatisreallybetterthanithasanyrightto.ThedystopiannearfutureofO-BI,O-BAfindsagroupofsurvivorsofthenuclearwarthatravagedtheEarthinhabitinganunderworldconcretebunkerandbidingtheirtimeastheywaitforthemysteriousArk,anairshipofsomekindthatwillcomeandsavethem.TheArkprovestobeanelaboratehoax,carefullydesignedtogivehopetothemalnourishedanddesperatedenizensofthebunker,whileinthemeantimethedomethatseparatestheirmiserableexistencefromthenuclearwinteroutsideisslowlycavingin.
Whatfirststrikedmeaboutthemovieisthedesignofthebunkerandthedepictionofthesurvivors.Thesurvivorsaregaunt,filthyandterrible-lookingpenitents,dressedinragsandaimlesslywanderingtheneon-lithallsofthebunkerlikeautomatons.Thebunkerisarundown,seedyplace,withbrightneonlightspeeringfromallsidesliketheeyesofmalignantbeasts.
Ononehanditisaslightly80'sdepictionofthedystopianfuturebutthemovieneverstoopsdowntoMADMAXcheese.Insteaditcombinesbitingpoliticalsatirewiththebleakoutlookofaworldwithnofuture,blackcomedywithbarbsonapathy,religionandpower.Thesurvivors,forexample,arefedsomekindofflourdroppingfromatubethathoversintheair-lateronwediscoverthefoodsupervisorusesbooksandtheBibleitselfasfillerforthismeagremeal.Therearemanysuchshortsymbolictouches,perhapsnotlife-changingorfaith-restoring,yetplayful,cleverandinspired.
Onethingisforsure;O-BI,O-BAisnotyourrun-of-the-millsci-fischlock.Itovercomesitsmodestbudgetwithcreativityandhasgenuineartisticaspirationsbothfromawritinganddirectingperspective.Myopinionisthatitshouldhavebeenfilmedinblackandwhiteinsteadofcolourthough.Thedirectorusesatmosphericlightandshadowtogreateffectanditwouldhaveregisteredevenbetterinstarkblackandwhite.Theblue-greenneonontheotherhandoutstaysitswelcomeafterawhile.Justaminorgripeinanotherwisesolidb-moviewithitsheartsetinalltherightplaces.
ImaginealessbleakTHEROAD(CormacMcCarthy)beinginjectedwiththesatireandhumourofDR.STRANGELOVEandyou'regettingthere.Seeitifyoucanfindit.
