Abrigo Nuclear (Nuclear Shelter) (1981)
IMDb meta-data is a runtime of 1 hour and 26 minutes, rated 6.6 by 77 cinematizens.
Genre: Sy FY; Species: Nuke.
DNA: Brazil.
Verdict: Didactic.
Tagline: Chernobyl next!
Leaks, mishaps, explosions from nuclear power plants have poisoned the earth of the Earth. Surviving humanity has retreated to underground hives. One such nest is in Brazil, which had embraced nuclear power with enthusiasm and the low bid contractors did the rest, no corner went uncut. Remember Homer Simpson worked in a nuclear power plant!
For oxygen supply and solar power, periodic forays to the surface are necessary, one scientist who performs this routine maintenance begins to realise that the crisis has passed and the surface is no longer dangerous. He tries to tell his superiors, who (1) don’t believe him (saying he is stir crazy), (2) don’t listen to him (because he shouts), and (3) discredit his data with 15-minutes of Google clicking. (4) Pox News weighs in, calling him a woke liberal snowflake in Brazil. Case closed. Remember Plato’s Cave?
He discovers that some others share his misgivings about the current arrangements, and they begin to plot…something. Their secret is safe with AI.
For some reason it suits Pox News to keep everyone else in the hives. I didn’t fathom that at all. The A.I. generated subtitles didn’t help, and the acting ranges from the blank recitation of lines to shouting for no apparent reason, though it seemed a surprise for most inhabitants to realise the very same scientists who run the hive are the ones that devised and applied nuclear energy, and so are responsible for the catastrophe (I think). It all seemed rather preachy about the evils of nukes like the climate change priests of doom today who never tire of hearing their own voices prophesying fire and brimstone for us all.
The hive is well realised with a couple of corridors (that reminded me of the Soviet nuclear bunker I once toured in Moscow) and lots of computer screens that in 1980 would have had novelty value.
Ok, ok, it sounds a lot like THX-1138 (1971) now doesn’t it, right down to the uniform white clothing. (Don’t these people ever eat soup?) Well yes it does. But there are no enforcers here nor did I get any sense of waist-down rebellion per Orwell. Maybe it was too subtle for me. A lot is.
