Welcome back to Movie Recaps. Today I will show you a drama,
sci-fi, thriller film from 2018, titled Level 16. Spoilers ahead! Watch out and take care.
The film opens with a sequence introducing the viewer to the two main characters as little girls,
Vivien and Sophia. They are still at level 10 of their special boarding school that works
as a foster home for young women as well. Their friendship and bond can be seen as they get ready
for bed and discuss their hopes and dreams when they finally get adopted by a family.
Vivien tells her friend Sophia that once she's chosen she will say that she won't go anywhere
without her. They hear the bell and proceed to the hall for the night washing regimen.
All the girls from level 10 form a line toward the sink, carrying their own soap.
The first girl that washes her face shows the camera how she cleans herself. When the line
moves, Sophia drops her soap, but she has a lot of trouble finding it because her eyesight is
terrible so she calls Vivian for help. The girl drops out of the line to help her, but she gets
back to the sink too late and misses her turn to wash her face, pleading to the camera that she's
doing it. The other girls turn to the wall and Sophie doesn't react to Vivian's begging to tell
them why she missed her spot as the guards come in the hall and drag her away from the others.
Some years later, Vivian is on level 15 and listens to the lecture about cleanliness with the
others. She has become the top girl on her floor and is grown into a rule follower, with a somber
look in her eye because of all the punishment she got. One night Ava talks to her in the darkness
about another girl from their group who she's worried asks too many questions. The next day the
girls are ordered to stand for assembly and Brixil arrives in the room, sizing them up and informing
them that they will all be moving on to level 16 which is the final one in the school before they
get adopted by new families. She calls the guards and reads the names of the three girls Rita, Ava,
and Vivian that will be placed in the Rose Hall on level 16. They're taken to the next level by
a limping guard and find their hall. Once they enter, the girls introduce each other, when Sophia
appears and recognizes Vivian, however, Vivian ignores her and places her dominance over the
other girls by telling them that she will be their top girl. She recites the four feminine virtues:
obedience, cleanliness, patience, and humility to remind the others what she will expect from them.
That night they take their supplementary vitamins, then grab some lunch in the cantina.
Ava is the only one talking, gossiping rather when the lights go out. Another girl comments something
about their school because she's disappointed that the new level looks worse than the previous ones.
Ava scolds her for sounding angry, which is one of the vices when Vivian leaves. Sophia corners
her in the bathroom and Vivian shows her just how angry she is about what happened on level 10 when
they are called into an assembly. Brixil brings them some new clothes, saying that the dresses are
meant to make them look like daughters from a top society family. Before they tuck in for the night,
she tells the girls to leave the dresses to air out for the night and that they can
wear them the next day and sleep in them the next night as a reward for virtuous behavior.
That night, all the girls are excited about what the dresses mean for their eventual adoption.
Sophia is the only one who seems perturbed. In the next shot, the lights go out and all
the girls fall asleep, except Sophia. The next day, Sophia finds Vivian to
share something really important with her convinced that she can trust her.
Vivian, however, isn't interested in anything she has to say because of the grudge she still holds
against her. Regardless, Sophia tells her not to take her vitamin that night and see what happens.
Ava interrupts them to ask Vivian for help. When they step outside she asks Vivian what's wrong
with Sophia and if she is unclean which sends Vivian into a rant, telling her never to say
that about another girl and never to act as if the two of them are friends because no such thing can
exist in the school. All of the girls take the vitamins that day, but Vivian spits it out in
the bathroom after. Later, everyone falls asleep the moment their heads touch their pillows, except
for Vivian and Sophia. Vivian marks the days passed on level 16 on her bedpost with her pin
and when she lies back down, she tries to speak to Ava, but when she won't answer, Sophia gets up and
tells her that she won't answer back because she's sedated. Vivian doesn't believe they would lie to
them about the vitamins that are meant to protect them from the unclean air and dirty water on the
outside. Sophia doesn't explain further just tells her to pretend she's asleep and when the guards
come to call out if she needs help. They suddenly hear them coming and Sophia runs to her bed.
Brixil walks in with the guards and points to Vivian and another girl to be taken away.
The guards carry the two girls to another level of the school and place them in a showroom.
The guard with the limp creepily touches Vivian's face, prompting the other guard to tell him to
stop it. When they leave, Vivian opens her eyes and is shocked about what she sees.
She pretends to be asleep when Brixil walks in with the customers. Brixil talks about their
skin as if it is the thing they will be shopping for. The woman looks at herself in the mirror,
when Brixil offers them some Champaign and leaves. The husband comments how perfect the girls' skin
is, never damaged by a single ray of sunlight. The woman has second thoughts and they argue, but when
Brixil comes back they make a decision on which girl they will buy, so she takes the husband back
to her office to complete the transaction. Later, she oversees the guard taking the other girl for
the buyers. When they exit the room, Sophia runs over to Vivian and tells her that they must make
their escape because Brixil has left the door unlocked which never happens. Vivian, however,
is still in shock about what she experienced. Unfortunately, before they can do anything
Brixil comes back and takes Sophia away too, but leaves the door unlocked again. Vivian exits the
room cautiously hiding from the cameras when Miss Brexil comes back. She gets a phone call from her
boss and tells him that she doesn't want to leave one of the guards unsupervised with the girls.
They take away one more girl and she leaves. Vivian checks the main door on the floor but
can't open it when she hears the limping guard come back and returns to her bed quickly.
He brings Sophia back who says that the door is locked and they've missed their opportunity.
The following day, Sophia tells Vivian that she stopped with the vitamins on level 13,
but that she's the only one that knows. Vivian defends the school, thinking there must be a
reason why they're drugging them. Later, Vivian goes in to see the doctor. This is
the first time she meets Miro. He gives her a vaccine, saying that there was an outbreak on
one of the other levels and they need to protect the others from the disease. Next, he asks her
if she has any skin conditions she would like to report and she says that there is only one thing.
When the doctor asks her to show him, Vivian says it's just a sleep scab that all the girls get.
Miro gives her some kind of ointment but tells her that she should continue using the soap for it and
tell the other girls that have sleep scabs to do the same. Rita walks up to her when she leaves the
doctor's office and tells her that they'll be watching a movie that night. Later, the girls
watch an old-timey movie to which Rita knows all the lines the actors say. At bedtime, Vivian and
Sophia talk about what they've learned so far. Sophia tells her about what she has been doing
at night all those years, which is mostly nothing because the doors are locked and the other asleep.
She can only listen to the other halls and hears them go through their 5-hour day just like them.
Between the waking times of the different halls, there is a dark hour when everyone is asleep.
Vivian thinks that if they get an opportunity to escape they should do it during their time,
but Sophia is worried about the cameras. Vivian doesn't think the cameras are really monitored
by anyone based on her experience from the night before. Sophia suddenly realizes that
they should tell the other girls from their hall about everything, but Vivian is adamant that they
shouldn't. She knows what will happen if one of the others rats them out and what the punishment
downstairs will be like since she has felt it before when she tried helping Sophia on level 10.
Sometime later, Vivian goes to speak to the doctor again. She notices that he enters and exits with
a card, like all the other school employees. She takes a seat in his office and tells him
that she likes his glasses, then says that Sophia has really bad eyesight and that she might need
glasses too. Miro insists on what she wanted to know when she came to see him, and Vivian
asks if she was named after a famous actress. He tells her that she was named after Vivian Leigh,
who was a very beautiful woman and that because he chooses the movies for the girls on movie night,
he will choose a movie with her for the next one. Vivian tells him that, unlike the other girls,
she doesn't enjoy the experience of a movie night as much, because they just end up seeing the same
movies all the time. The doctor calls her a selfish girl and leads her out of the office,
then tells her not to share their chat with anyone else because Brixil won't approve of it.
Before she leaves, he tells her to follow the rules, be patient and let them take care of her.
Later, the girls play chess in the cantina when one of them gets some sort of attack,
convulsing and vomiting on the floor. Some think that she's sick,
while Ava says that she's probably unclean and that they should call for the guards.
Sophia doesn't think that's necessary since the girl hasn't done anything wrong.
Ava, however, tells them that she doesn't want to get infected, prompting Vivian to tell her
to shut up, then pick up the girl and take her to the bathroom to clean her up. After, Sophia
runs into the girl in the hallway and sees that her arm where she got the vaccine looks horrible,
then checks hers and Vivian's as well. She doesn't think it's just a vaccine. Sophia says that they
should tell the other girls and devise a plan, so Vivian asks if they should get help from the
doctor. Sophia doesn't understand how she can trust him, but she realizes that Vivian
has just stopped taking the vitamins and still doesn't know everything that's been happening.
She tells Vivian that the guard with a limp comes into their room at night and touches the girls.
The following movie night begins with a lecture on skincare when a problem with the TV in the lecture
room appears. Ava tells the girls not to ask any questions because curiosity is the first vice.
Then, the TV shows a Vivian Leigh film, to the delight of Vivian. The next time she sees the
doctor, she thinks he's on her side and tells him that she loved the film because the actress was
very strong and empowered. Miro doesn't like her answer and begins to scold her, but Vivian insists
that there is something wrong. He asks if she's been taking her vitamins because she seems upset.
Vivian lies that she has and he tells her that she sounds angry. She tells him that she isn't angry,
aware that it is the first vice so the doctor reminds her that the vices lead to hysteria which
is a serious health risk for young women. Miro gets ready to give her a stronger version of the
vitamin, saying that it's the better alternative to calling the guards on her which he would do if
another girl exhibited the same behavior as her. She conforms out of fear but pretends she's doing
it out of obedience. The doctor gives her the shot and tells her that she's not being punished,
but that he only wants to help her. Vivian gets really dizzy because of the shots which she has
been getting constantly. She can barely walk and function, but she persists nevertheless.
One night Sophia goes to talk to her and Vivian tells her that her head feels heavy and the days
blur together. Sophia tells her that she has a new plan on how to get them out of there,
but that they have to steal a card from the guards, which upsets Vivian. Ava decides to report
Vivian for unclean behavior. Meanwhile, Sophia and Vivian concoct a plan to steal the card from
the molesting, limping guard. Suddenly, they are called to assembly and Brixil grabs Vivian to take
her to her punishment. She puts her into a kind of solitary because she doesn't want to immediately
send her downstairs to get physical punishment. Brixil tells her to reflect on the four feminine
virtues and she might let her out in the morning. In the next shot, Brixil goes to unwind in her
apartment and is quickly joined by Miro. They talk about their boss when the doctor tells her that
he wants them to restock the school. Brixil doesn't want to, but he tells her that with
the advancements he has made they can start with 12-year-olds instead of young children. She wants
them to end the project in three years as planned because the facility is falling apart, but it
seems that their boss won't allow that to happen and the doctor is too afraid to go against him.
As the night passes with Vivian in solitary, Sophia prepares a rope for the guard.
He comes into their room as expected and when he touches one of the girls she attacks him.
Unfortunately, she doesn't knock him out as much as she thinks she has and she gets caught.
Sophia struggles with the guard when he knocks her over. Before he can do anything to her she
hits him with an iron over the head and steals his card. Then, Sophia goes to get Vivian but when the
alarm blares, she panics and leaves her there. Brixil gets her out of confinement the next day
and takes her to an assembly where she informs the girls that Sophia stole a card. Since she doesn't
have it on her, Brixil thinks she gave it to one of them. She gives the girls the opportunity to
give themselves up and be spared heavy punishment. Miro interrupts Brixil and goes on a hysterical
rant about feminine values and the like, then grabs Rita and tells the others that if they
don't give back the card, she will be punished and another one each day until the card is returned.
As the girls leave, Vivian sees the doctor give Brixil new sedatives to give them.
She's made to take the pill and fully inspected by Brixil. That night, the girl tries to stay awake,
barely. She stumbles over to Sophia's bed, looking for the card and when she doesn't find it there,
she finds it hidden in her own bed. Unfortunately, the card doesn't work on the door anymore.
Vivian slides down and cries, then hears someone outside the door. She figures out
a new way to get the door open, by using the card to loosen the screws. When she finally undoes it,
she stumbles through the hallway, and Brixil, who's in the doctor's office hears her so she
prepares a sedative, and waits. She hears the girl outside and tells her to come in.
Vivian walks inside and confronts her about Sophia, confusing the woman because they had taken
measures to prevent friendships from happening in the school. Brixil tells her that Sophia is fine
and that when she gives her the vitamin she'll take her down to see her. She attacks Vivian,
but the girl knocks her down, sedates her, and restrains her. Then, Vivian goes downstairs to
the cells, finds Sophia, and releases her. Sophia is happy that she came back for her. They leave
the cells so Vivian can find something to untie her and they walk into a room with surgical tools.
Vivian uncovers three bodies in the back of the room and the girls find out that one of
them is Rita. When they check her body they see that her skin has been removed from her face.
Sophia realizes that they will do the same to the other girls and says that they have to help them,
but Vivian disagrees and tells her that she won't help her free the other girls. They separate and
Sophia goes back inside the school to release the other girls. She finds the ones from the
hall that's in the waking shift and tells them to wake up all the other girls from their level. All
of the girls assemble in one of the lecture rooms and Sophia is ready to explain why they're there.
Meanwhile, Vivian goes to the client level and finds a video about what they actually do there.
The school is actually a company that provides the services of facial rejuvenation by finding ideal
subjects for skin transfer. After that, Vivian brings Brixil to the girls and explains that
the school is actually a farm for their skin and all the girls that were supposedly adopted were
actually killed, including Rita. Brixil says that she can't help them, but Vivian confronts her,
saying that even though she might not have killed those girls herself, she aided in their death. The
girls realize that she has had a skin graft as well so they shove her in solitary confinement
and leave her there while they escape the school. The moment they step outside, an alarm blares and
while the other girls escape, Vivian and Sophia get captured by the liming guard. They struggle
with him and kill him, then they run with the rest. Other guards begin to chase them and all
of the girls scatter, hiding in different places. Vivian and Sophia hide in a shed and two of the
guards find them instantly. Miro joins them suddenly and they inform him of the situation.
He talks to Vivian through a window and tries to manipulate her into coming back,
but the girl deflects his lies. When she sees that there is no escape from her situation,
Vivian asks how much her face is worth and Miro tells her that it's worth 16 years of his life.
She laughs and cuts up her face to prevent him from being able to use it. Miro is devastated and
when the two guards tell him that they have to get him to his boss because of his massive mistake,
it's obvious that he'll get what he deserves. The next day, the girls are found in the shed
by the police. They walk out of the shed and see the Sun for the first time in their life.
The final image of the movie is of the two friends holding hands, finally free.