I went into David Cronenberg’s newest film without knowing anything about it, other than hearing it showed at Cannes. I hadn’t even seen a trailer, and I think this is the best way to see it.
The film follows a widower (Vincent Cassel) six years after his wife died of cancer as he tries to expand his burial and cemetery business in which grievers can access footage of their deceased loved ones to see their decaying bodies within their graves. It sounds morbid, I know, but the film does a pretty good job of convincing you it’s a good idea in theory, until the cemetery is vandalized and the tech is hacked.
Cronenberg is still at the top of his game when it comes to body horror. Cancer is awful in and of itself, but seeing what it did to the wife’s body as surgery after surgery took her body parts and left her covered in scars. Seeing what it did to her husband both before and after her death was equally tragic. Cronenberg handles this with unrelenting realism, but also care.
Vincent Cassel carries his character’s grief in every frame. He’s so convincing that, even as his character descends into paranoia and a bit of madness, the grief is still there marring his judgment. Keeping him from see clearly what is right in front of him. That someone he knows is messing with his head, and it’s completely obvious who it is once the reveal happens.
Diane Krueger and Guy Pierce are great in this too. Krueger plays dual parts. The dying wife and the sister-in-law. Guy Pierce is the techie friend and ex husband of the sister in law. Complex relationships for a complex story that takes its time. There’s a lot of talking, but I was never bored. It’s interesting enough story wise and visually that I didn’t mind the excessive dialogue.
This film has a bit to say about A.I., but how it can be used against us by actually people who manipulate the tech. It’s isn’t just A.I. we need to be mindful of. We need to be aware of those around us to and not be blind to what goes on around us even in our darkest moments.
One last thought – I want more movies with Vincent Cassel uttering the word visceral. He did it here, and he also used the word in Black Swan. It sounds so good coming out of his mouth, layered with his accent. More of the please.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
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Becky Tyler Art and Photography 
I went into David Cronenberg’s newest film without knowing anything about it, other than hearing it showed at Cannes. I hadn’t even seen a trailer, and I think this is the best way to see it.
The film follows a widower (Vincent Cassel) six years after his wife died of cancer as he tries to expand his burial and cemetery business in which grievers can access footage of their deceased loved ones to see their decaying bodies within their graves. It sounds morbid, I know, but the film does a pretty good job of convincing you it’s a good idea in theory, until the cemetery is vandalized and the tech is hacked.
Cronenberg is still at the top of his game when it comes to body horror. Cancer is awful in and of itself, but seeing what it did to the wife’s body as surgery after surgery took her body parts and left her covered in scars. Seeing what it did to her husband both before and after her death was equally tragic. Cronenberg handles this with unrelenting realism, but also care.
Vincent Cassel carries his character’s grief in every frame. He’s so convincing that, even as his character descends into paranoia and a bit of madness, the grief is still there marring his judgment. Keeping him from see clearly what is right in front of him. That someone he knows is messing with his head, and it’s completely obvious who it is once the reveal happens.
Diane Krueger and Guy Pierce are great in this too. Krueger plays dual parts. The dying wife and the sister-in-law. Guy Pierce is the techie friend and ex husband of the sister in law. Complex relationships for a complex story that takes its time. There’s a lot of talking, but I was never bored. It’s interesting enough story wise and visually that I didn’t mind the excessive dialogue.
This film has a bit to say about A.I., but how it can be used against us by actually people who manipulate the tech. It’s isn’t just A.I. we need to be mindful of. We need to be aware of those around us to and not be blind to what goes on around us even in our darkest moments.
One last thought – I want more movies with Vincent Cassel uttering the word visceral. He did it here, and he also used the word in Black Swan. It sounds so good coming out of his mouth, layered with his accent. More of the please.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Discover more from Becky Tyler Art and Photography
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
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