Sundance Review: Brandon Cronenberg's INFINITY POOL Is an Insanely Twisted Movie That Aims to Shock Audiences
I got a chance to catch Brandon Cronenberg’s upcoming film, Infinity Pool, at Sundance this week, and holy shit! Making insane body horror films just must be embedded in the Cronenberg family DNA. I liked Brandon Cronenberg’s last movie, Possessor, but this next insane and twisted film of his unfortunately wasn’t as good.
The movie certainly takes audiences on one hell of a bonkers ride, but it was just too much for me. Now, I love Cronenberg movies, but this one just didn’t click for me and I feel like it sacrificed story for over-the-top elements and visuals to shock the audience. I was looking forward to this movie, but it just didn’t sit well with me.
Now, I’m not saying you won’t like it! If you’re a fan of Cronenberg body-horror-style movies, then of course, you’re going to want to jump in and see what this is all about! You might enjoy it more than I did. There are aspects of the movie that I did appreciate, though, such as the concept for the story, which was very interesting, and the over-the-top performances were enjoyable.
The story for the movie follows James and Em Foster, who take off to an all-inclusive beach getaway in the fictional state of Li Tolqa to help jump-start his writer’s block. “Their lazy days are spent relegated to their pricey resort, isolated from the surrounding land. Gabby introduces herself and her partner, Al, as she’s a fan of James’ last novel, and they would like to spend some time together with the Fosters. The couples plan a secret daytrip outside the compound that ends in a fatal accident with James to blame. For a hefty price, there are loopholes to aid foreign travelers convicted of crimes there, which is how James is first introduced to a perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism.”
The loophole is that, for a price, an exact replica of yourself can be created and killed by the relative of the person you wronged or hurt. It’s after this initial set-up that the story breaks into insane twists and turns and psychedelic madness. This is also where the warnings for the film kick in and that warning reads: “This film contains graphic violence and gore, graphic sexual content, and other subject matter that could be offensive to some viewers.”
Yes, it will definitely be offensive to some people, and there is a lot of stuff in it that will be considered to be tasteless. I wasn’t personally offended by it, I just don’t think all of that crazy stuff helped the story. In fact, I thought it was more distracting than anything. But, Cronenberg was looking to cross some lines and shock people with this one. I heard one person talking about it saying that he felt like he needed to take a shower after watching it because of how “filthy” of a film it was. It really does get under your skin.
The movie is described as a “sci-fi trip through the wicked exploits of foreigners abroad. Crushing violence and surreal horrors puncture this dark satire of the privileged few, centered on the depraved lead performances of Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth.”
Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth certainly did give memorable performances, and there are visuals from this movie that I won’t be shaking from my head anytime soon. This movie is not for the faint of heart and I’m curious to see how fans of Cronenberg and Possessor are going to react to it. Just prepare yourself for some wicked insanity.
The reactions to this movie are split. Most conversations I’ve had about it are with people who either love or hate it. I’m kind of split on it. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it either. I don’t know, this was a weird one and I’ll probably never watch it again. All I can say is that it was an experience.
