Dir. Billy O’Brien | Now Streaming On: Tubi | Rating: 4/5

I grew up in a small city and then moved to a big city as an adult. I’ve never even seen a cow in real life. So many of my international followers are probably falling out of their chairs reading this. Isolation has all of the things that are bound to unsettle someone like me. Livestock experiments gone wrong, guts, and manure. ⁠
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Isolation brings us out to the Irish countryside, miles away from any major city, where farmer Dan is having his cows experimented on. If you can stomach the excruciating long scenes of elbow deep internal exams of cows and cows giving birth, then you’re in for a real treat. Setting a lovely stage for Splice that would come three years after Isolation, this film delivers an unsettling and gritty look at animal experimentation. ⁠
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One of the most interesting elements of this film is the recurring theme of Dan’s guilt. Not only are his cows his livelihood, but he deeply cares for them. As the experiments begin to unravel, the pain and crushing regret Dan goes through is palpable. The second act of this film follows his journey to redemption which I thoroughly appreciated. ⁠
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The one element of this film that I felt didn’t land, and this could be coming from the perspective of being an American viewer, was the side story of Jamie and Mary. In my research, I found that Jamie is supposed to be an Irish traveller, which is an ethnic group of nomadic peoples in Ireland. Travellers face political and cultural discrimination throughout Ireland and Europe, sharing similar experiences with the Romani people. None of this context was super clear in the film, at least to me as an American viewer, and I think this deserved either a more concise spotlight or a film of its own. ⁠
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Isolation is a disgusting, shocking, and entertaining little indie film. It has shockingly solid cinematography and acting for an early 2000s b-movie. Absolutely give this a watch, especially if you’re a no good city dweller like me. ⁠
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Know Before You Watch: Features death, gore, blood, animal death. ⁠