PHASE 7: Post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi from Argentina

Although Phase 7 can be confidently classified as apocalyptic cinema, Argentine director Nicolás Goldbart is not interested in the global dimension of the pandemic, which in this case is triggered by a mutated strain of the flu virus. The entire situation is observed from behind the limited walls of a large, only partially inhabited apartment building, and the main characters – Coco and Pipi – are not particularly concerned with the raging disease outside their windows.

The central idea of Phase 7 is, in fact, an old truth known from George A. Romero’s zombie horrors – in the face of an apocalypse, the greatest threat comes from humans, who prioritize scheming and intrigue over cooperation. And it is they, not the virus, who will eventually bring about the death of most of the secondary characters. It’s just a shame that such an interesting idea, offering plenty of potential, was turned into a film that may not be outright unsuccessful, but certainly underachieves.

It starts quite well. The aforementioned Coco and Pipi – a young couple with a rather carefree approach to life – are introduced in a supermarket at the moment when an epidemiological threat is announced. Crowds of people rush to the store shelves to grab basic necessities, but our protagonists seem to be oblivious to the growing madness. They calmly return home, where they learn that the entire building will be placed under quarantine. Their neighbors, seemingly friendly, begin to wage private wars and protect themselves at all costs. Coco, meanwhile, who had not been particularly concerned about the sudden change in circumstances, joins forces with the eccentric Horacio, who lives next door and seems to be perfectly prepared for the coming apocalypse.

As long as we observe the actions of the neighbors, scheming with each other to acquire as many coveted goods as possible, Phase 7 is intriguing and genuinely funny. The tricks and maneuvers, satirically portrayed by Goldbart in the first part of the film, raise hopes for a much more intelligent and subversive film than it turns out to be. However, verbal skirmishes quickly turn into shootings, and the situation, which had been interestingly outlined, transforms into a bloody massacre. The second half of Phase 7 is essentially one large bloodbath, taking place mostly off-screen due to budget constraints, and is interrupted by poorly handled dialogues between Coco and his wife.

What’s worse, the screenplay, which is falling apart, is not salvaged by competent direction. Goldbart doesn’t seem to care much about the actions of the characters, approaching the plot with a considerable amount of detachment, which results in Phase 7 lacking even a hint of tension. The fates of the inhabitants – though some of them seem to be really fleshed-out characters – are resolved in a rather crude way. One might get the impression that the creators had no idea how to develop the outlined situation, let alone how to conclude it. The static shots and monotonous music, which in no way corresponds to what is happening on screen, enhance the feeling of boredom, creeping into Phase 7 in the second half of the film.

As a result, Goldbart’s film looks more like an unfinished sketch than a fully realized, thoughtful work. Several of its elements definitely deserve praise – the subdued, originally presented prologue, in which the frantic crowds are merely a backdrop for the unshaken protagonists; a few clever dialogues; Federico Luppi – known for his roles in Guillermo del Toro’s films – as the crazy old man with a military past; and the aforementioned character of Horacio, the eccentric who had been preparing for the pandemic for months. As a whole, however, Phase 7 doesn’t quite deliver. The Argentine director often takes the easy way out, making it hard to treat his film as a social commentary of the same caliber as Romero’s famous moral tales, and the dull second half effectively diminishes its purely entertainment value.