Fantasia: Retreat

Directed by Carl Tibbetts
Written by Carl Tibbetts
Cast Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton, Jamie Bell
Produced by Gary Sinyor

Retreat was one hell of a film. Kate and Martin are a grieving couple who decide to get away from it all at the place where their love once grew strong: their little cottage on Blackholme Island. They are the only inhabitants on the entire island and it takes a long boat ride to get to.

One gloomy day a man (Jamie Bell) washes up on shore with terrifying news. There's an airborne virus viciously ending the lives of thousands. He convinces them to barricade themselves inside the cottage to ward off any survivors who are infected and to seal all the windows so that the infection doesn’t get inside. Although everything seems to be going fine, the man starts acting insanely aggressive, which brings the couple to think that something scary is going on. The situation only worsens and tension is at an all time high.

The film has incredible views of the island and of the landscape. It's all very vast, empty and a little frightening. The performances were incredible; every actor nailed theirs on the head and made me feel tense and worried about future viral outbreaks. Tibbetts introduced the film and he seemed very humble and proud of his project, which made me love it even more. I will definitely be buying this film when it comes out on DVD and showing my friends what good acting and a killer screenplay can add up to.

4 out of 5 Stars

-Andrea Boulet