Old (2021)
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A group of people on a secluded beach find themselves rapidly aging as they realize they are part of a sinister medical experiment.
The story
While on a final family vacation at a tropical resort, Guy and Prisca Cappa and their children encounter several other families at a secluded beach. The atmosphere turns dire when the group realizes they are aging at an accelerated rate—one year every 30 minutes. As the physical toll of rapid aging manifests, the group discovers that attempting to leave the beach results in them blacking out and waking up back where they started. The characters must navigate the escalating tension and physical deterioration caused by the beach's environment while trying to understand the nature of their predicament.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Guy and Prisca Cappa, dealing with a separation, take their children to a tropical resort. They join several other parties on a secluded beach where they begin aging rapidly—one year every 30 minutes. The group realizes that any attempt to leave causes them to black out and reappear on the beach. As the days pass, the physical consequences of rapid aging become deadly: a woman's tumor grows uncontrollably, a man's condition worsens, and several members die from various medical complications. The children, Maddox and Trent, eventually find a notebook from a previous traveler and discover they are being watched. It is revealed that the resort is a front for a pharmaceutical company, Warren & Warren, which uses the beach to conduct accelerated clinical trials on drugs for people with medical conditions. After most of the group dies, the two children survive by swimming through an underwater passage. They eventually escape and provide evidence of the researchers' crimes to a police officer, leading to the arrest of the staff.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Writers
- M. Night Shyamalan · writer
- Cast and characters
- Gael García Bernal · Guy Cappa; Vicky Krieps · Prisca Cappa; Rufus Sewell · Charles; Alex Wolff · Trent Cappa; Thomasin McKenzie · Maddox Cappa; Abbey Lee · Chrystal; Nikki Amuka-Bird · Patricia Carmichael; Ken Leung · Jarin Carmichael; Eliza Scanlen · Kara; Aaron Pierre · Mid-Sized Sedan/Brendan; Emun Elliott · adult Trent Cappa; Embeth Davidtz · adult Maddox Cappa
- Genres
- mystery; thriller
- Themes
- relationship to time; aging; death; family
- Tone and mood
- tense; pitch-black comedy; horror
- Premise and plot tags
- time acceleration; medical conspiracy; survival
- Source material / true-story basis
- Sandcastle (graphic novel)
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its premise and cinematography, but criticism regarding its dialogue and screenplay.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 53
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in the Dominican Republic during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.; The film was inspired by several films including Walkabout, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Jaws.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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