Out of a primordial pond crawls a somewhat human form, grunting and moaning as he slithers and climbs upward toward some mysterious destination. This bestial figure comes from mysterious origins—“I don’t know who I am,” he moans—but is driven to escape the devastated multilevel labyrinth he is trapped within. As computer-generated women—representatives of a corporation called Eden Log—congratulate him on his progress, an unnamed man reveals the company’s nefarious plot to use immigrant labor. Battling corporate shock troops, mutant creatures and half-mad survivors on his way to the surface, he pieces together the story of the apocalypse in which he too has played a part. Refreshingly complex, vividly unsettling and artfully shot in a palette of greens, blues and grays, Franck Vestiel’s sci-fi feature blends the cyberpunk flair of Tetsuo with the eco-horror concerns of films like Soylent Green and The Last Winter and the existential predicament of Tarkovsky’s Stalker. As if that weren’t enough, in the second half a twisted love story flickers briefly to life. With its memorable soundtrack, claustrophobic atmosphere and bare-bones dialogue, Eden Log offers ample chills and much food for thought.

Written by Pierre Bordage, Franck Vestiel. Photographed by Thierry Pouget. With Clovis Cornillac, Vimala Pons, Zohar Wexler (98 min, Magnet Releasing).