Alarming and subversive, Air follows the urgent plight of three survivors after a nuclear attack leaves the air unbreathable. After a panicked meeting in the street, a young man and women search the wreckage, avoiding the murderous clown who also needs the last remaining oxygen supplies.

Though lacking the polish of director, Keir Burrows’ later filmography, Air offers some hints of the quiet vivacity which marks his more recent work. Through the use of open space, news footage and almost mockingly bright skies, the film gains a sort of immersive gravity. The story feels like a part of the world rather than the world feeling like a part of the story. Contrasting of catastrophe with moments of levity and outright oddness (birds dropping out of the sky like a biblical plague deserves special mention), Air becomes a controlled frenzy, amplifying the characters’ fear – no small feat when all three main actors are performing with their faces covered.

Most striking of the three is Clown Budd (at least partly because murderous clowns have become unexpectedly topical of late). Huffing helium balloons as a survival tactic, Clown Budd’s switching voices – a Cockney squeak and a low, jagged growl – are as sinister as they are laughable. Jarringly, this does beg the question of whether breathing helium is a viable substitute for normal air and the exact content of the Clown Budd’s balloons. However, this niggle is outweighed by symbolic value; actor Rick Stupple is not merely disturbing but as an embodiment of the absurdity of evil, a bizarre devil figure in a story with a slight biblical undertone.

While the script offers less insight is given into individual characters than Donkey (2011) or The Showcase (2015), a preoccupation with the human condition is still the film’s driving force. What separates Air from its predecessors is that, rather than focusing on an individual’s struggle, Burrows explores both the virtues and brutality that exists in each person. Man, woman and clown alike struggle through the catastrophe, yet it is their approach that separates them. Clown Budd’s attempts to survive at the expense of other. The two heroes, on the other hand, focus their attentions outwards. One’s immediate response to the disaster is panic for his friend; the first words we hear from the other hero, a delightfully atypical damsel-in-distress, is rage over the death of her family. With more time each promises to be a compelling hero; as it stands they are almost a new Adam and Eve, the last bastion of goodness. To me, this futile goodness is precious; whether others will agree after the final moment is uncertain.

If you are interested in watching Air, you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKRmViXy6WU&list=TLwfItjycHLOA