David Cronenberg’s latest just dropped this weekend. It’s a return to the body horror themes of his earlier works, as well as the avant-garde metaphors of his films such as eXistenZ, Naked Lunch, Cosmopolis and Crash. Set in a future where the human body has evolved to no longer experience pain, performance artist Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) puts on shows where his assistant Caprice (Léa Seydoux) removes new organs that are growing inside his body. An investigator from the National Organ Registry named Timlin (Kristen Stewart) becomes fixated on Saul’s art, while a man named Lang (Scott Speedman) follows him around and eventually convinces Saul and Caprice to perform an autopsy on the body of his dead son, who had evolved to no longer be able to digest regular food, in an effort to show the world the next phase of human evolution.
The film is both serious and satirical, poking fun at the pretentiousness of the art world, where artists and their fans become overly fascinated with the artist’s work, obsessively praising it and finding meaning where there might be none. It also makes statements about humanity’s numbness to violence, having become so desensitized that cutting open and disfiguring their bodies is the only way for them to feel anything. This especially hits hard considering the recent school shooting in Texas and how the media and politicians gloss over it as if it’s just an ordinary occurrence. Mortensen does a great job as Saul, perfectly capturing the tortured artist who bares himself for all the world to see, leaving himself open to praise and criticism, no matter what the personal cost may be. Stewart’s Timlin is so awkward that she’s uncomfortable to watch, having developed a somewhat creepy fixation with Saul and his performance art. Seydoux also turns in a strong performance, carefully balancing between ingenue and femme fatale.
The electronic score by Howard Shore is fantastic, perfectly capturing the movie’s dystopian, futuristic vibe. Shore has contributed his music to most of Cronenberg’s films, as well as other classics, like Silence of the Lambs. His contribution once again becomes a part of the experience. The movie is both simple yet confusing, and like some of Cronenberg’s other classics, leaves the interpretation to the minds of the audience. Any fans of his works should definitely check it out. It’s an interesting and unforgettable film, unlike anything you’re likely to see this year.
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