Purity has a price.|Feb. 20, 2018|Canada|102 Min.|n/A
Genre: Science;Fiction;Thriller
Description: In a bright white hallway, several young girls stand against a wall to apply face cream under a camera positioned above a sink. They are given a limited time to complete the task. Sophia, one of the girls, drops her cream and struggles to find it due to her near-sightedness. Her best friend Vivien, about to wash her face, pauses to help Sophia but exceeds the time limit. An alarm sounds, and the other girls silently face the wall as guards arrive to take Vivien away, ignoring her screams.
The girls reside in a secluded, artificially lit boarding school devoid of windows, where cleanliness is heavily emphasized. They begin on level 0 as infants and progress to higher floors as they age. By sixteen, they reach the highest level, level 16. Throughout their lives, they are taught health, homemaking, and etiquette, while being discouraged from expressing curiosity or anger. They live in constant fear of being deemed “unclean.” Literacy is not part of their education, and they are warned that the outside air is toxic. Their days are strictly regimented, with a focus on applying face cream and taking vitamins. Breaking these rules, they are told, leads to an unspecified punishment. Vivien, the top girl on level 16, strictly enforces the rules and reprimands anyone who considers breaking them.
Sophia warns Vivien against taking the daily vitamins. Initially dismissive, Vivien changes her mind upon noticing the pill, usually white, has turned blue. The girls are given white dresses with their names embroidered on them and instructed to wear them to bed. The blue pills are revealed to be sleeping pills. While pretending to sleep, Vivien and Sophia witness guards removing other girls from the room. Vivien and Olivia are taken to a furnished lounge and placed on beds, unaware of what lies ahead.
Cast director: Danishka Esterhazy
Cast actor: Katie Douglas, Celina Martin, Peter Outerbridge, Sara Canning, Alexis Whelan, Amalia Williamson, Josette Halpert, Kate Vickery, Kiana Madeira, Alex Steele
Original name: Level 16