Exodus

EXODUS is a mind-blowing, apocalyptic work of art, a re-telling of the Biblical story in an England of the near future. Director Penny Woolcock's film, reminiscent of “Blade Runner” in the nightmarish completeness of its vision, will grab you by the throat and hold on tight. It's a parable of immigrants, thieves, and other undesirables forced into a hellhole of a concentration camp in an abandoned amusement park by the sea. Euphemistically named “Dreamland,” the camp seethes with violence and despair; with plague and famine and ragged, mute children running in packs. The place is policed by jack-booted storm troopers under the direction of fascist rule,r Pharaoh Mann, played with terrifying smugness by Bernard Hill. Into this chaotic time a baby is born to an immigrant woman and then abandoned near the sea. Pharaoh's wife takes him in and names him Moses. Grown into a young man of promise, Moses falls in love with housemaid Zapporah and kills a man to defend her, only to be abandoned to Dreamland by Pharaoh. When he discovers he is one of the ragtag voiceless multitudes, Moses realizes he must try to lead them out of bondage. A powerful metaphor for modern times. – BB