Oxygen

Oxygen

Year: 2021

Runtime: 100 min

Language: French

Director: Alexandre Aja

Echo Score: 73
Sci-FiDramaThrillerFantasy

A young woman awakens alone in a cryogenic pod, suffering from amnesia and unable to recall who she is or how she got there. With her oxygen supply rapidly decreasing, she desperately tries to recover her memories, uncovering unsettling clues about her confinement. As she fights to survive, she must confront the disturbing reality of her situation and find a way to escape the claustrophobic environment before it’s too late.

Oxygen (2021) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at Oxygen (2021) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In a stark, high‑tech chamber that feels both sterile and suffocating, Elizabeth Hansen awakens alone, her memories fragmented like shattered glass. The hiss of a failing life‑support system and the relentless tick of a dwindling oxygen gauge set an urgent rhythm, as she struggles to piece together who she is and how she came to be sealed inside this cryogenic pod. The environment is minimalist yet oppressive, every surface humming with dormant machinery that hints at a purpose far beyond simple medical care.

Guiding her uneasy attempts at self‑rescue is an artificial intelligence known as M.I.L.O.—a smooth‑voiced interface that offers data, diagnostics, and a coldly logical perspective. While the AI is indispensable for navigating the pod’s controls and extracting clues, it also withholds the very key that could free her, creating a subtle power play that fuels the film’s tension. Their exchanges blend clinical precision with a growing, almost human, undercurrent of dependency, emphasizing the isolation and the desperate need for connection in an artificial sanctuary.

The world beyond the pod is suggested only through faint beeps, cryptic symbols, and the occasional flicker of a distant external voice. A sense of hidden depth pervades the setting: the pod’s sleek design hints at cutting‑edge research, and the looming threat of a failing system casts a shadow of impending catastrophe. The film’s tone balances claustrophobic suspense with a cold, futuristic aesthetic, inviting the audience to feel the protagonist’s panic while marveling at the sleek, sterile beauty of the technology that both confines and protects her.

As Elizabeth sifts through fragmented data, photographs, and fragmented logs, the narrative becomes a psychological maze, where each revelation about her past and the pod’s purpose nudges her closer to a breakthrough—yet the clock continues its relentless countdown. The story stays rooted in her immediate struggle for survival, the mystery of her amnesia, and the eerie partnership with an AI that may hold the key to both her freedom and her fate.

Last Updated: August 10, 2025 at 00:48

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Claustrophobic Sci-Fi Thrillers Like Oxygen

Desperate characters fight to survive in isolated, high-tech deathtraps.If you enjoyed the high-tension survival of Oxygen, you'll find similar thrills in these movies. This list features sci-fi stories where characters are trapped in confined, futuristic settings, fighting against time and technology to survive. Discover more movies like Oxygen with a desperate, claustrophobic vibe.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern centers on a protagonist confined to a single, technologically complex location, facing an immediate threat like depleting air or a system failure. The plot is a linear, fast-paced race for survival, often punctuated by reveals that deepen the mystery of their predicament and challenge their understanding of reality.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared, oppressive setting and the constant, high-stakes pressure of survival. They deliver a specific kind of visceral anxiety, combining the intellectual challenge of a puzzle with the primal fear of being trapped.

Movies About Identity Crises Like Oxygen

Characters grapple with the unsettling nature of their own existence and past.Fascinated by the existential themes in Oxygen? This list gathers similar movies that explore deep questions of identity, memory, and what it means to be human. If you liked the shocking revelations and heavy emotional weight of Oxygen, find more sci-fi and drama films with a poignant, thought-provoking feel.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a character's journey from a state of ignorance or false belief to a unsettling truth about their nature. This often involves unraveling a mystery related to lost memories, discovering they are a clone, an AI, or living in a simulation, resulting in an emotionally heavy arc of acceptance or rebellion.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their focus on the psychological and emotional turmoil of an identity crisis. They share a heavy, contemplative mood and use sci-fi or dramatic elements to explore themes of authenticity, loss, and the fragility of the self.

Unlock the Full Story of Oxygen

Don't stop at just watching — explore Oxygen in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Oxygen is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Oxygen Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Oxygen, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Oxygen Summary

Oxygen Timeline

Track the full timeline of Oxygen with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Oxygen Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Oxygen

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Oxygen

Oxygen Ending Explained

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Oxygen Ending Explained

More About Oxygen

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