*First published at The Indiependent*
Brandon Cronenberg follows in the footsteps of his father David Cronenberg with a hellish holiday of violence in Infinity Pool. Much like the younger Cronenberg’s other films (e.g Possessor), Infinity Pool falls into the same sci-fi body horror basket as a psychological thriller ripe with pornographic, immoral, and perverse elements. If the hot dog fingers in Everything Everywhere All At Once weren’t enough to gross you out, then the deformed human face masks and gruesome executions should do the trick.
★★★★✰
Cronenberg directs a mesmerizing science-fiction thriller that explores the darker side of human nature and the haunting reality of a life free of consequences. The film takes place in a luxurious resort in the fictional state of Li Tolqa, an isolated paradise that lures in writer James (Alexander Skarsgård) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman). James has not written a book in six years, and so the unsuspecting couple is on vacation looking for inspiration. The flirtatious actor Gabi (Mia Goth) and her architect husband Alban (Jalil Lespert) are regular visitors of the resort and take James in.
Those familiar with Goth’s recent rise to a high-pitch horror icon, as seen in Pearl, won’t be surprised to know that the couple shouldn’t be trusted. James is completely seduced and is quickly wrapped around her finger; shockingly early on is a very revealing scene of her masturbating him after he urinates. After a sudden and horrific accident, James discovers the country’s hidden dark culture – charismatically and frighteningly championed by the admirably committed Goth. Her performance is not always successful, but you can’t keep your eyes off her when she is at her best.
The punishment for crimes in Li Tolga is execution, but for the tourists that can afford it, a sinister solution is available. The local law enforcement have perfected the art of scientific cloning; a perfect body double can be created with all the criminal’s memories to be executed in their place. Whilst the idea of witnessing yourself be brutally stabbed to death may seem like too much for the average person to bear, James is bizarrely compelled by it. His time in Li Tolga is then dominated by hedonistic indulgences with other wealthy ‘zombies’ who pay their way out of responsibility for every crime and dark desire. Much like Triangle of Sadness or The Menu, Cronenberg tries to hold those in power accountable through this satirical lens and deeply twisted metaphor.
Above all, the film is visually stunning, with pan shots and disorientating cinematography that rotates in a dizzying motion creating an anxious and uneasy atmosphere as the continuous horrors play out. It has a distinct and disgusting style—at several moments, the gory, blood-soaked, carnal visuals are overwhelming and too hard to watch.
The film’s use of violence is graphic and unsettling, but it is not gratuitous. The wealthy tourists witness themselves being executed, struggling and screaming, as a form of entertainment after a night of terrorizing the locals. This depiction of violence is disturbing, but not more so than seeing James brutally beat himself to death and be breastfed by Gabi. The primal and repulsive nature of humans is on full display, with Cronenberg sprinkling in eroticism and violence as the characters descend into a moral freefall. Each scene continues to one-up the previous, plunging you into another raw yet hypnotic performance guaranteed to make most people squirm.
The rapid editing and illusion-filled visuals show the wealthy tourists as disgusting and deformed at times, an intensely hallucinogenic orgy sequence further highlighting the barbaric nature of the ‘civilised’ tourists. The film’s reality-blurring dystopian visions, coupled with neo-psychedelic sequences, create a rollercoaster of satirical terror that will shock you to your core.
The Verdict
Infinity Pool does not play by the rules in its dark voyage through human nature and is a must-see film for fans of the science fiction and thriller genres. The film’s exploration of transhumanism, body dysmorphia, and the lack of real consequences for the wealthy elite is both thought-provoking and unsettling.
Vibrant visuals, hallucinogenic horrors and an eerie soundtrack create a sense of unease that lingers long after the credits roll. Filled to the brim with punishing and provocative images, Brandon Cronenberg has created one of the most disgusting, hypnotic, and terrifying original works of art that some will argue should never have been committed to film in the first place.