Level 16 (2018) Online

Some other reviewers around here have criticized LEVEL 16 as not being entirely original or being noticeably similar to other comparatively-themed movies. The point is completely legitimate because it's true.

But then again, given the fact that virtually every movie made can usually be easily compared to half a dozen others, if you rely upon this point as a cause for catastrophic criticism then you're going to have a very difficult time finding movies to watch. Personally, a movie has to be UNREASONABLY derivative before I'll start taking points off. I only require that a movie be a WELL-MADE movie about "X" pretty much no matter how often an "X"-themed movie has been made.

Depending upon how far you want to cast your comparison net, you could not only compare LEVEL 16 to "THE ISLAND" / "PARTS: THE CLONUS HORROR" / "NEVER LET ME GO" but also to THE TIME MACHINE (why were those Morlocks taking care of the Eloi?) and SOYLENT GREEN (why is the state willing to give people a beautiful death and what's happening to those people?)

Essentially, anytime you have a group of people being confined and/or "managed" by some other group of people for mysterious/unexplained reasons and apparently peculiar circumstances, you have the same story. Obviously "management" has some dark motives in mind and the core of the movie is finding out what those motives are. At the largest scale, even THE MATRIX trilogy was about the same subject matter. People as batteries, unaware of their actual circumstances?

In LEVEL 16 we view the majority of the movie from the perspective of a collection of about 12 approximately 16-year-old girls (hence the name, LEVEL 16) who are being raised in the context of a rigidly regimented, prison-like environment. The pretext they are given for their rather grim confinement is that they are being carefully raised to be "good girls" to be adopted by wealthy, high quality families who are very particular about whom they adopt. They are led to believe that they have been saved from unfortunate circumstances and should not try to leave because the world is in such bad shape that even the air is poisonous outside of their controlled environment. They are led to believe they are indebted to the institution for their care and maintenance. As far as we can tell they have been raised in this environment their entire life and aren't in any position to know any better.

Not unpredictably, very close to their time to be "adopted", a couple of "troublemaker" girls begin to get suspicious and the truth of the artificial construct of their imprisonment begins to break down under scrutiny.

The nitty-gritty details of the whys and what-fors is left to the reader to discover.

LEVEL 16 is not exactly mind-boggling in its concept or execution, but it's a competent execution of its concept and the acting and production values are certainly adequate all around. There's even a hint of Russian mafia context which works well for the situation but doesn't take over the plot line from its focus on the girl's experience.

Nothing about LEVEL 16 is Oscar bound but it's certainly sufficient quality and high production values are true to its subject matter. It's a good execution of the movie it intended to be. For me, this is what justifies reasonably high star score.

Very weak movie that wants to be Hand Maidens worthy except that it's very dull,, offers no real suspense and ends on a whimper. Even Made for Lifetime movies offer more than this did.. very disappointing...

A movie that is a bit slow but interesting... The story is not a new one (The Island), but presented in a dark and twisted way. I liked the movie a lot, especially with rumors in our real world about human trafficking, this movie gave me an idea what might be happening in the future or what already is. The actors convinced me enough to watch this film all the way through, what rarely happens... if you do need to kill some time, this movie won't be the worst choice

I enjoyed this film I thought it was different, and it played with an interesting idea. It's definetley not for everyone. However its something i found entertaining and thrilling. It's not an amazing film and it won't win an oscar. On the other hand the acting is spectacular and it's a pretty decent film. I reccomend to watch.

I think when you're doing a micro budget scifi film this is the way to go if you want to get some return economically and critical. I think its dishonest to call this scifi. Its entirely possible to do what they do in the film with the technology we have today. They however covered this up with very solid acting by the main actresses who held my attention and said or did anything groan worthy. Go in expecting something just below The Handmaid's Tale in quality and you'll come out ok. I'll admit its probably a 6 but I tend to give extra credit when I leave feeling like the writing was well thought out.

This was a film that I wrote an article about its upcoming release. I wasn't sure if this film was actually going to be horror or just sci-fi. After seeing it, I do think there are enough horror elements for me to consider it. This film has quite the interesting premise as well. The synopsis is sixteen-year-old Vivien (Katie Douglas) is trapped in The Vestalis Academy, a prison-like boarding school. Together with her former friend, Sophia (Celina Martin) they uncover the dangerous truth behind their imprisonment.

We start off with both our main characters when they are younger. Vivien wants to be the best student, but she also wants to help her best friend, Sophia. All students are trying to get to level 16, where they can be adopted by a family. The problem is that Sophia has bad eyesight. All of the girls are preached to be good and to make sure they are clean. Sophia drops her face wash and can't find it. Vivien gets out of line to help her, but when she is up next and doesn't clean her face in time, she is taken away to be punished.

The film then shifts to present day. Vivien is now hardened to just be the best. She keeps to herself and is the leader of the class. We get this when the video lesson for the day freezes up. The other girls question what to do, but she keeps them in line.

The woman in charge of all of this is Miss Brixil (Sara Canning). She alerts the girls that are graduating to the next level, 16. It is when they get to their new room that Vivien is back with Sophia, who she hasn't seen since the day that she felt betrayed. The only vice that Vivien has is taking the headboard off her bed and scratching in the days she is at that level.

Things all change when Sophia pulls Vivien aside and tells her to stop taking the vitamins they are given. Vivien does and the nightmare really begins of when they are supposed to be asleep. It gets even darker when they realize what Miss Brixil and Dr. Miro (Peter Outerbridge) are really up to.

As I've kind of alluded to earlier, I knew that this film was going to be more sci-fi than anything and that is what we get. The girls are all told that they can't go outside. The air and water have been poisoned and this school is there to protect them. It appears that the outside world is post-apocalyptic. They are told that once they reach the final level and pass what the school is developing them to, they will have families who will love them. I kind of saw what the reveal was alluding to from what the dialogue was giving, but I actually thought it was an interesting concept. I like it even more when we realize where this film is taking place at the end as well.

This film though is steeped with allegory. We have these young women that are being groomed to be perfect. It is interesting; because what this film is presenting goes against everything feminist and that they don't have a choice. Being that the writer/director. Danishka Esterhazy, is a woman I have good reason to believe this is definitely a feminist look at society. I personally love what the film is saying, because even though I'm male, I don't think that women should be conditioned this way and should think for themselves.

Going with the sci-fi aspect of the film, there is something interesting to whether these are orphans or if they are being designed in a lab. I have reason to believe it could be either or it could definitely be both.

Something that really made it horror for me is the feel of the film. They are preaching to these young women that they need to be clean, but the building is rundown. It is something that is addressed in the film, but being that they've never seen the sun and that they are locked in here is pretty scary. The pacing of the film helps build tension and the more you learn about the plot, the darker all of this becomes. I will say there was a bit of a pacing issue later in the second half, as the film kind of felt like it lost its way a bit. I understand that you really can't cut anything though, because you need that brief reprieve after some of the things that happened. I did like the ending though and thought it was fitting for the film.

Acting is something for a film like this that needs to be good. There is an interesting concept, but we are confined to minimal sets and we need their reactions to it. With that said, I thought Douglas was great. Her resting face has enough attitude in it that it looks like someone who has been wronged when they've been doing the right thing and it has effected her. I thought it was powerful. Her character does come around a bit too fast, but with a film like this, you need it start the investigation. Martin I thought was fine. I liked Canning in her role. She seems like she in control, but we see that she's doing what she can to hold it together. Outerbridge is interesting as someone who you want to trust, but there's also something not quite right about him. I thought the rest of the girls are solid in rounding it out. They have enough fear, naivety and inquisitive nature to make it feel real. The bodyguards are also solid for their imposing nature in a 1984 kind of way.

As for the effects, for being sci-fi, there wasn't a whole lot. This film did a great job at making this feel like the future, without really giving us any futuristic things. All that we saw in the film are things that are around us today, which begs the question, is this in the future? Or does it just feel that way? There was some CGI in a scene at the end of the climax, but it actually looked good. I cringed a bit too, not going to lie. That is something I really like when a film can get a reaction out of me. The film was shot beautifully and felt real.

Now with that said, I was really glad I stayed up late to check this out in my theater. I really enjoyed the concept and the story of the film. It is interesting as well with its underlying allegory that is very relevant today. The acting helps to bring everything to life. I thought the film was a bit long, but I don't really see anything that could be cut from it. It does still build the necessary tension with a solid payoff. There weren't a lot in the way of effects and even though it went CGI, I thought it was used right. There is a nightmare quality to this film that even though it is listed as sci-fi, I still think it is flirts with the genre enough to push it over. I found this to be a good film and would recommend giving it a viewing.

Yet another "The Island" / "Parts: The Clonus Horror" / "Never Let Me Go" but just with faces.

That is all.

Just watched 'Level 16'. It is a good movie indeed. The best example of how to make a movie interesting & watchable even from low budgeting. Story is simple and having none of sub plots but gripping you from very first scene of starting and stick you till the end. Story about a mysterious school of girls where they are trained to be looking good, smart and without any stain on the face rather than any education from early age. All the atmosphere of the school well portrayed to look mysterious, suspenseful and horror. Girls are unknown about school's main aim as well as viewers. When levels of suspense are starting to disclose one by one then you definitely stick on your seat till the end without finish in a go. It is a big success of this movie. Breathtaking journey really enjoys you Main character of Vivien (played by Katie Douglas) is fascinating. Expression like fear, curiosity, some anger and rebelled eyes which are necessary of the role you will find in Kate. She looks breathtaking here. Supporting cast is well. Thus way a good story of friendship and greediness, decent background and perfect casting totally make a movie good and watchable. Climax is fearful. I feel this movie more horror and less sci-fi (as per IMDB genre). I recommend for seeing. Hope that might a sequel.

Although this story is not a new idea, it is still an interesting premise and the presentation and acting along with good direction makes this film a worthy watch. The camera use and cinematography is bleak and dark, with the use of hazy bright lights used to accentuate the shadows. The music score was perfect and added to the various scenes. The plot plugs along at a fairly decent pace for those movie watchers that don't get bored easy. It is a simple and pretty strait forward movie with few surprises. The themes of friendship, loyalty, courage and greed are well portrayed by the end of the movie. There are some plot holes, yes, but again, the great acting, and the interesting theme brought me thru the movie and allowed me to set aside those inconsistencies and just enjoy what was in front of me. If you find it difficult to set aside your disbelief or if plot holes keep you from enjoying an otherwise well made movie, I admit this film would not be for you. (Or if you are into action films or horror/slasher films). As for me, this was an excellent small budget movie!!

I gave this movie six stars which to me is just above average. It was entertaining with a few thrills. There is a twist that surprised me. Its young cast did a good job in their roles. I would recommend that you not pay the expense of streaming it and check it out at redbox when it is available.

This is a film that had be drawn in to the lives of the characters, which were all brilliantly played by the entire cast, especially by Katie Douglass who plays the lead Vivien.

I never knew which way the story would go at any moment, and the technical side created an engaging atmosphere that added to the experience.

This is probably not a film for everyone, but if you like a well acted and produced engaging story this should appeal.

Another rehash of 'The Island'. Very poor and unengaging. Npo idea who this film is pitched at - it's so simplistic it must be kids but then it includes peeled off faces and an almost sexual abuse scene. Poor films and even worse commercial viability.

Acting is below B-grade, story is much weaker version of recycled ideas.

If you want very similar story told better watch Parts: The Clonus Horror or its remake The Island.

Started out strong but just got boring. Strong acting from the young cast.

The movie start well, until the moment the girl are going to escape. people are will imagine different outcome and world out there, but there is nothing to see.

The movie plot seems like a mix between 'The Island' and 'The Handmaid's Tale. Acting is good. There is adequate amount of suspense to make it watchable. Other than that if follows the same feminist narrative we find in many current movies.