A Netflix sci-fi horror, which has terrified fans so much they have been left ‘struggling to breathe’, has been dubbed a ‘must watch’. 

French-language film Oxygen stars Mélanie Laurent as a young woman who finds herself trapped in a cryogenic chamber, with oxygen levels swiftly dwindling. 

Having lost her memory, the woman tries to recall how she ended up in such a desperate situation – all while battling to survive, guided only by the voice of an AI robot.

Directed by Frenchman Alexandre Aja, the Netflix Original creation of debut screenwriter Christie LeBlanc has an impressive 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes. 

And it has received significant praise from the critics, with the Guardian warning despite it requiring ‘some hefty levels of disbelief suspension’, ‘it’s a rather elegant contrivance’ and ‘excellent’ French actress Mélanie ‘sells it hard’.

The film was released in 2021 – but new fans keep rediscovering the near one-woman effort on the streamer, taking to social media to express how captivating it is. 

French-language film Oxygen (pictured) stars Mélanie Laurent as a young woman who finds herself trapped in a cryogenic chamber, with oxygen levels swiftly dwindling

Having lost her memory, the woman tries to recall how she ended up in such a desperate situation – all while battling to survive, guided only by the voice of an AI robot

Directed by Frenchman Alexandre Aja, the Netflix Original creation of debut screenwriter Christie LeBlanc has an impressive 90 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes

One person said on X: ‘Oxygen is a phenomenal example of one-location filmmaking done right. 

‘Brutal moral dilemmas, surprising discoveries about the mysterious protagonist, a fantastic one-woman show from Mélanie Laurent keep the slow, flashback-heavy narrative engrossing.’ 

A fan review noted: ‘As the tension build to excruciating levels at the climax, will have viewers so caught up in the action they will need to check they are still breathing.’

Another X user commented: ‘Gripping, some nail-biting scenes and a great performance from Mélanie Laurent – but maybe don’t watch it if you’re claustrophobic…’ 

Someone else recommended anyone scrolling for a new watch to check it out: ‘It’s a movie with big ideas but no matter how large the scope gets, it remains impressively intimate and confined to a single location. 

‘Clever and tense. Mélanie Laurent is terrific.’ 

One person weighed in: ‘This is a great movie! A variant of Buried [2010 survival thriller about a man buried alive] but sci-fi (and better). Laurent does an excellent job.’ 

Another user said: ‘It’s a tense and very claustrophobic ride. Mélanie Laurent is superb… It’s very good.’ 

And it has received significant praise from the critics, with the Guardian warning despite it requiring ‘some hefty levels of disbelief suspension’, ‘it’s a rather elegant contrivance’ and ‘excellent’ French actress Mélanie ‘sells it hard’

Other critics have been impressed by the film too, with Forbes saying: ‘The mystery at the centre of this story – who is this young woman, where is she, how did she end up there – will keep you hooked’

Viewers will recognise Mélanie from Quentin Tarantino’s infamous 2009 war film Inglourious Basterds

The film was released in 2021 – but new fans keep rediscovering the near one-woman effort on the streamer, taking to social media (pictured) to express how captivating it is

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Other critics have been impressed by the film too, with Forbes saying: ‘The mystery at the centre of this story – who is this young woman, where is she, how did she end up there – will keep you hooked.

‘Mélanie Laurent is quite phenomenal, carrying this suspenseful thriller through her sole performance.’  

Viewers will recognise Mélanie from Quentin Tarantino’s infamous 2009 war film Inglourious Basterds, an alternative history about two accidentally clashing plots to ᴀssᴀssinate Nazi leaders. 

Mélanie stars as Shosanna Dreyfus, a 23-year-old French-Jewish woman whose family was executed by the SS when she was 20 – which she managed to escape.

Fans’ rediscovery of Oxygen comes after Netflix changed its subтιтle settings in a way streamers have wanted for years – making any viewing of the sci-fi horror potentially even more enjoyable. 

Many viewers watch with subтιтles, a study showed – but find it irritating when the captions describe sound effects or music as well as showing the dialogue.

It means keen streamers were delighted to discover that an update to the service sees subтιтles show just the words spoken – and nothing else.

The previous comprehensive closed captioning is mainly for deaf or hearing-impaired people, who account for only a small portion of total subscribers, the study showed. 

Fans’ rediscovery of Oxygen comes after Netflix changed its subтιтle settings in a way streamers have wanted for years – making any viewing of the sci-fi horror potentially even more enjoyable. Pictured: File pH๏τo 

Many viewers watch with subтιтles, a study showed – but find it irritating when the captions describe sound effects or music as well as showing the dialogue. Pictured: File pH๏τo 

It means keen streamers were delighted to discover that an update to the service sees subтιтles show just the words spoken – and nothing else. Pictured: File pH๏τo 

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These viewers, who might appreciate the extra description, need not worry – this traditional closed captioning will still be available, listed as ‘English CC’, alongside the new style, named ‘English’ or whatever the viewer’s preferred language.

There is also a range of other options for personalisation, including more settings for text font, weight, opacity, outline and shadow to help with contrast – and options to move the position of subтιтles on-screen to avoid covering important action.

The new adaptation was rolled out on the fifth and final season of You, released last Thursday, and Netflix plans to add it to all its original shows from now on.

Early testers reported a smoother reading experience, Netflix said, saying it was less ‘obtrusive’ – and fans have now also taken to social media to express their delight at the new feature.

One user said on X: ‘Finally, a win for subтιтle lovers! No more getting distracted by every door creak and ominous music cue.

‘Netflix is stepping up its caption game with a cleaner, more streamlined experience. Less chaos, more clarity.’

Oxygen is available to stream on Netflix now.