Infinity Pool Review
★★★★☆ Brandon Cronenberg’s warped clone thriller is a glut of sex, violence and power.
Unsettling and provocative, Infinity Pool is par for the Cronenbergian course. Inspired by his own poor holiday experiences (remind me never to use his travel agent), Brandon Cronenberg continues to forge his own twisted path. While his legendary father was all about the destruction of the flesh, his offspring seems far more interested in the horror that takes place within. Although, that’s not to say he’s above a fucked up visual or two.
Infinity Pool stars Alexander Skarsgård (The Northman, Succession) as James, an author struggling with writer’s block. Seeking inspiration on vacation at an all-inclusive gated resort, the author and his wealthy wife Em spend time with fellow tourists, including Gabi (Mia Goth — X, Mayday), a rare fan of the author’s one and only novel.
But their holiday soon turns to hell when James accidentally kills a local during a boozy trip away from the resort. Spared thanks to the country’s unique justice system where the wealthy can pay for a clone to be punished instead, James falls in with Gabi and a group of tourists who game the system, losing himself in a hedonistic haze of sex, drugs and primal rage.
Like Cronenberg’s last feature — the equally deranged Possessor, Infinity Pool pushes right up against the boundaries of what we assume we’re allowed to see in a movie. It’s easy to see why this got an NR-17 rating. Cronenberg floods the screen with dazzling hallucinatory sequences, effective not only as an illustration of the main character’s dangerously altered state, but also as a pretty creative way to fill the movie with its eye-opening extreme sexual imagery.
Yes, you really did see what you think you saw there.
Skarsgård delivers another excellent multi-layered performance, demonstrating the same wide range that has seen him become one of the most sought-after actors working today. It’s insane to think that this is the same guy who, only twelve months ago, was completely believable as a hulking Viking berzerker.
But it’s Goth who once again steals the show, doing what she does best as Gabi, the beautiful, seductive and completely off-the-rails femme fatale that alone makes Infinity Pool such a wild and memorable experience. Goth might be at risk of becoming typecast as horror’s modern scream queen, but when you’re this good, does it even matter?
Infinity Pool does leave some money on the table. Its core sci-fi concept is somewhat undercooked. Who is dying — the original human or the clone — is a fun, Prestige-y idea the film flirts with but frustratingly doesn’t take anywhere. The film’s exploration of some of its themes — wealth and societal disparities and male fragility — are also a little too surface-level for my liking.
But taken as another slick showcase that he is more than just his father’s son, Cronenberg’s latest shocker is a trip well worth taking.
Originally published at michaelkenny.uk
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