Anyone was under age and able to sneak into a theater to see early David Cronenberg films probably never forgot the experiences, and likely followed him as he began to receive mainstream studio support. Early films like Crimes of the Future, Shivers, Rabid and Scanners led to bigger budgets and major studio releases such as Videodrome, The Dead Zone, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch and M. Butterfly.
His son Brandon was certainly paying attention, as he has become a filmmaker proving the apple does not fall too far from the tree. Infinity Pool is his latest effort, and it follows much of the same creepy and erotic mystery that seems to come from this Canadian family.
Infinity Pool (written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg) stars Alexander Skarsgård and Cleopatra Coleman as a couple who journey for a luxurious vacation, only to be swept into the dark underside that lives just outside the security fences of the resort.
The couple befriends another couple (played by and Mia Goth and Jalil Lespert), who seem more familiar with the terrain, and encourage them to venture outside the gates. In doing so the sparkly mood begins to change as the sexual frissson and looming fear of darkness escalates.
An automobile accident triggers a plunge into the bizarre local justice system, whereby crimes of a certain stature can be resolved with the payment of money, such that the guilty party is cloned. The guilty party is then forced to watch the execution of his clone.
In order to not give much more away, suffice to say we begin to follow the spiraling nature of our lead characters, who are forced to confront not only the skewed justice system, but the apparent complicity of fellow guests at the resort.
With a steady hand behind the camera, Cronenberg moves the plot along at a crisp space. Some deft moves with the camera, coupled with some intriguing film processing techniques result in several entertainingly disorienting scenes.
Like most films coming from the Cronenberg family Infinity Pool is not for the squeamish, but it will be a film unlike anything you will likely see in the weeks before or after.
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