The Divide

In French director Xavier Gens' disturbing film The Divide, a New York City apartment building basement becomes a cesspool of degraded humanity when a group of desperate neighbors band together to stay alive after a nuclear blast. Mickey (Michael Biehn), the surly superintendent and de facto leader, finds his authority challenged by the loose cannon duo of Josh (Milo Ventimiglia) and Bobby (Michael Eklund), while an estranged couple (Lauren German, Iván González) struggle to maintain their sanity and a mentally unbalanced mother (Rosanna Arquette) leaps headfirst into the depraved reality of life underground. This is Lord of the Flies for a post-9/11 world; it's hinted at that Mickey was traumatized by the attacks, and the group speculates that Arab terrorists may have launched the bomb. From the frenetic opening sequence to the disquieting final scene, there's a natural fluidity to the camera that mirrors the ease with which some of the survivors throw away their morals and embrace a violent and brutal totalitarian attitude. Ventimiglia and Arquette's ferocious commitment to their damaged characters stands out among the strong cast, which helps gloss over some of the movie's disjointed dialogue and humor. In the end, The Divide asks if the price of survival is worth the terrible cost.