«Last Sentinel» - Movie Review by Kinoafisha

2063. Due to climate change, the sea level has risen, leaving only two continents on the flooded Earth. A ferocious war for survival has erupted between their inhabitants. Four soldiers have long been stationed at an abandoned military base in the middle of the ocean, guarding a super weapon called "Martha." Leading the squad is the paranoid Sergeant Hendricks (Thomas Kretschmann). His right-hand woman is the gloomy Corporal Cassidy (Kate Bosworth), who is involved with the radio operator, the muscular Private Sullivan (Lucien Laviscount). And repairs on the base are handled by the emotional engineer, Private Bains (Martin McCann). Their two-year service contract expired three months ago. The team awaits a ship with a new shift while simultaneously fearing the enemy's advance.

Things are not going well at the bastion: resources are running out, important mechanisms and the desalination unit are still broken from previous storms, the tower is tilting, and the last fishing attempt turned out to be unsuccessful. Tensions in this difficult situation are further heightened by the fact that a new storm is approaching and a ship is appearing on the horizon, not sending any signals. It turns out to be empty, and the team has mysteriously disappeared. Despite orders, Sullivan contacts the command center but receives no response. All of this looks extremely suspicious, causing the squad members to suspect each other of betrayal. The bravest among them decide to use the mysterious ship as a lifeboat to return home.

"Last Sentinel," a sci-fi film, was directed by Estonian filmmaker Tanel Toom, the creator of "The Confession," an Oscar-nominated short film. The screenplay was written by Malachi Smith, who has shown great skill in drama and dialogue. Toom found intriguing ways to bring it to life on screen and expertly filmed the tight, dark sets. The four characters in an existential crisis, portrayed by an excellent cast, are meant to reveal humanity's inclination towards paranoia and self-destruction. The restrained and enigmatic narrative intrigues, immersing the audience in the same state of uncertain future as the characters find themselves in.

The most tense and interesting scenes in the film are those in which the conflict between Sergeant Hendricks and the rest of the team develops. Through subdued tones, the characters engage in minimal dialogue, conveying everything through their expressions. The film skillfully scatters hints and distracting maneuvers that sometimes help to understand the direction the story is taking, and other times divert from it. The film is constructed like a play, with only four characters and almost no change of location. Despite this, not everything about their past and motivations is fully clear. Usually, this is only mentioned briefly, and there is not enough to see the complete picture. Simultaneously, there is an impression that there are too few characters, especially when they start disappearing one by one. From that point on, the plot resembles more of a game of "Mafia," but it doesn't follow the rules. The total number of participants in the game should be no less than six. It seems that the film lacks a couple of bright characters who would confuse the viewers. And the story begins to fall apart when the most interesting characters do not receive further development.

"Last Sentinel" is a film for those viewers who enjoy slow contemplative thrillers about the struggle against isolation. However, do not expect many tense scenes and dynamic plot development. The film captivates only until the halfway point, after which it stalls, repeating a couple of important ideas, and ultimately disappoints with a banal conclusion. The main problem of the film is the insufficiently thought-out and implausible final act, which may be due to either a limited budget or a desire to uplift viewers tired of eternal wars. However, the outpost, established in the ocean and cut off from the outside world, serves as an accurate metaphor for us today. Unable to influence anything, we simply sit and wait for some sort of savior signal. Anxious and powerless.