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The film belongs to the genre of sci-fi thriller and it comes with a deluge of macabre elements that preponderates the tension of the spectator. The narrative is highly restricted and carries a strong hermeneutic code which is only decoded at the very last moment of the film. The entire narrative is overtly suppressive. There are also uses of divergent vocal information to foreshadow the spectator's alternative lines of thinking. As far as the depth of story information is concerned, there are also occasional references to subjective information from the characters when they narrate their own personal background.

The preliminary expository sequence employs discontinuous editing that links together several undecipherable shots to spark off the brain activity of hypothesis formulation on the part of the viewer. This exposition is characterized by showing details (e.g. extreme close-up of a blinking human eye) rather than by the conventional use of establishing shots. Probably director Andrzej Sekula attempts to build up suspense and invoke an active participation of the spectator right at the beginning. The story progression is rather slow and the plots exhibit some varied repetition of previous plots when the characters face dangers and try to escape from them.

Being self explanatory with the title, cube and square are the visual motifs as they constitute the props and settings in more than 90% of the shots. This geometrical motif works in synergy with another motif of "60659" to create a powerful source of suspension that sustains the brain activity of the viewer throughout the film.

Aesthetic wise, director Sekula adopts a multiplicity of cinematographic techniques to assist the narrative: CG, 45-degree canted angle shot, slow/accelerated motion, multiple split screens, elliptical editing and montage. Another discernible aspect of the aesthetics is that Sekula deliberately uses a brightly lit background in the mise-en-scenes showing the inside of the cube where the characters are captured. These bright mise-en-scenes occupy more than 90% of the screen time - a rare and relatively unconventional practice in thriller movies.

The denouement of the film does not completely fill all gaps in the story and deliberately leaves the spectator to continue his/her brain working process to purvey an illusive answer after the credits are rolled. It is a product of deliberate efforts in dramaturgy that successfully yields active spectator involvement.

Distributor: Asia Video Publishing Co., Ltd.
Duration: 95 mins.
Price: HK$ 16 (at DNA Video Shop)

註：本評論純屬影評作者個人意見，並不代表本網立場。
Note: This views presented in this review is solely the views of the critic who wrote it and do not represent the stance of our website.

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