Oxygen

Mélanie Laurent’s Claustrophobic Nightmare: The Making of Oxygen (2021)

Netflix’s Oxygen (2021) drops viewers into a suffocating sci-fi horror where a woman wakes up in a cryogenic pod with no memory—and only 90 minutes of air left. Starring Mélanie Laurent as the desperate Elizabeth Hansen, the film is a masterclass in tension, but the behind-the-scenes story is just as intense. latestnetflix.com's view is that From Laurent’s real panic to director Alexandre Aja’s high-stakes vision, here’s what went into making this claustrophobic thriller.

A Set Designed to Terrify (Even the Star)

The film’s premise hinges on a single, cramped set: a futuristic cryo-pod barely large enough for Laurent to move. But the real challenge? Making sure the audience—and Laurent herself—felt the suffocating dread. In interviews, Laurent revealed the pod was so tight that she had to lie completely still for hours, with only a small window for the camera to capture her performance . "The hardest scene was when I had to scream for help," she admitted in a Netflix clip. "I was really panicking. The crew had to pull me out because I couldn’t breathe" .

Director Alexandre Aja, known for his visceral horror films like High Tension and Crawl, leaned into the discomfort. He reportedly kept the set’s oxygen levels slightly lower than normal to heighten Laurent’s anxiety, though Netflix later clarified this was a controlled effect, not a safety hazard . Still, the result was a performance so raw that even Laurent called it one of her most physically demanding roles .

The Director’s Obsession with Isolation

Aja’s approach to Oxygen was all about stripping away distractions. The film’s script, written by Christie LeBlanc, originally had more exposition, but Aja pushed for a tighter, almost silent first act—letting Laurent’s expressions and the pod’s eerie soundscape carry the tension . "I wanted the audience to feel like they were in that pod with her," Aja said in an interview. "No cuts, no escape" .

The director also insisted on practical effects over CGI for the pod’s malfunctioning systems, including real smoke and flickering lights to disorient both Laurent and the audience . The trailer’s tagline—"Wake up. Breathe. Survive."—wasn’t just marketing; it was the film’s entire philosophy .

A Twist Ending That Divided Fans

Spoiler alert: Oxygen’s finale, which reveals Elizabeth’s true identity, left some viewers scratching their heads. The ending, explained in detail by YouTube breakdowns, suggests she’s not just a woman in a pod but part of a larger, sinister experiment . Aja and Laurent defended the ambiguity, arguing that the real horror wasn’t the twist itself but the uncertainty it created .

Laurent even joked that the ending was so divisive, she had to "explain it to [her] mom three times" . Still, the film’s ability to spark debate—was it sci-fi? Horror? A psychological thriller?—proved its success in keeping audiences hooked long after the credits rolled.

Why This Film Stands Out in Laurent’s Career

Mélanie Laurent is no stranger to intense roles—she’s directed and starred in everything from Inglourious Basterds to The Nightingale—but Oxygen was different. "It’s not just a survival movie," she said. "It’s about memory, identity, and what it means to be human" . The film’s reliance on her performance, with minimal dialogue for long stretches, made it a test of her acting chops.

Netflix’s marketing leaned into the claustrophobia, with trailers emphasizing the pod’s cramped space and Laurent’s frantic expressions . Critics noted that the film’s tension never let up, a rarity in a genre often bogged down by jump scares . Even Rotten Tomatoes’ sparse snippet hints at its effectiveness: "Starring Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi" is all it takes to sell the film’s star power and premise .