CELL ADORE FILM FEST - Percentile

Harry Tye’s Percentile follows Oscar (Adan Osborne), a scientist who, after infecting himself with a deadly disease, that is killing his mother and has killed much of the world, goes out in search in the dangerous wilderness for a cure — after leaving his job where he was developing a cure. Giving himself three weeks before the illness kills him, Oscar searches until he’s confronted by a stranger, who, despite killing, mortally wounds Oscar. 

Much of the film is told through a combination of narration and flashback, with the narrations working much better, thanks to Osborne’s calm reading juxtaposing well against the often bleak imagery of Oscar surviving the elements. Despite the narration working, some of the performances fall flat — particularly Osborne’s in a critical flashback featuring fellow scientist Sana (Saraa Jee), who we also see following Oscars tracks during the end credits. 

The film’s cinematography by Jim Topliss is given a grey look, often reminiscent of The Revenant and its depiction of the wilderness. The few reprieves from the greyness are in the flashbacks set within the laboratory Oscar works and the home he shares with his mother.  

Director Harry Tye’s debut Percentile is a smartly done, post-apocalyptic survival film that’s heightened thanks to Adan Osborne’s calm narration and Jim Topliss’s cinematography.