Infinity Pool

James Foster is a one-novel author struggling with writer's block. He and his wife Em are vacationing at a resort on the idyllic, isolated isle of Li Tolqa, where their marital woes cause constant arguments. After meeting Gabi, a fan of his novel, and her husband Alban, James and Em venture outside the boundaries of the resort, where the two couples enjoy a drunken day of sunbathing. However, their dream vacation soon turns into a nightmare after an accident occurs, plunging James into a dark underworld of debauchery and excess. As he battles a twisted justice system, a bizarre cult and his own deepest fears, will James escape, or be trapped on the island ad infinitum?

Written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, 'Infinity Pool' is an ambitious, headily atmospheric psychological horror that doesn't quite go the distance. Initially intriguing, then frustrating, and finally exasperating, the screenplay tries to balance too many different elements, failing at nearly all of them. Though the film tries to explore some interesting themes of identity, morality and escapism, they are not fully developed or resolved; coming across as rather half-baked.

Additionally, the surreal seediness of the first act- which draws one in brilliantly- does not sit well with the rote science fiction and action-oriented elements of the last two. A cloning sub-plot is both poorly explained and executed, and the denouement is anticlimactic and cliched. Cronenberg's characterisation is rather shallow, to boot, and the main character is largely unsympathetic. James is neither likable nor relatable, and his motivations and actions are often illogical and inconsistent.

With 'Infinity Pool', Cronenberg has created a surreal and distinct world, but fails to do anything interesting with it narratively. Conversely, the film is a visual delight, boasting striking cinematography from Karim Hussain, who uses analog methods in a digital medium to create its disturbing, dreamlike visual style. Hussain also employs unusual framing and lenses to express James' emotional turmoil, as well as the duality between the paradise-like resort and the hellish underworld of the island. 'Infinity Pool' is stunning, with vibrant colours, rich textures and grand compositions drawing the viewer into Cronenberg's horrific environment.

Furthermore, Tim Hecker's score adds to the film's eerie and unsettling atmosphere, and James Vandewater's editing is continuously adept. 'Infinity Pool' also boasts a fine central performance from Alexander Skarsgård, who makes the most out of Cronenberg's scant characterisation of James. Mia Goth also does strong work as the seductive and mysterious Gabi, though her tendency for overacting- which made her so appealing in 'X' and 'Pearl'- hampers the impact of her performance somewhat.

A disappointing waste of potential that leaves the viewer unsatisfied and confused, 'Infinity Pool' could- and probably should- have been much better than it is. Despite some interesting ideas and a strong first act, Cronenberg's narrative is unengaging and familiar. Though the cinematography is consistently alluring, the film is not, and the commendable efforts of Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth do little to keep one's interest held. In the end, perhaps the best one can say about 'Infinity Pool' is that it doesn't go on forever.

After Antiviral and The Possessor, Infinity Pool continues Brandon Cronenberg's path to being a film maker to watch. His films are unique and he will supersede his dad nicely once his legendary career comes to an end.

The casting is great with Mia Goth & Alexander Skarsgard continuing their trend of picking projects that are more exciting than the typical hollywood fair. Both are superb here and are the perfect pair with Goth on manic form, almost on Pearl levels of insanity at times.

The movie has unique ideas and surprises that don't go the conventional ways you'd expect. The film is gorgeous to look at despite being horrific in nature and the ending is well done. The normality of it all is chilling and gets under your skin after what's taken place the previous two hours.

Highly recommend.

I walked into this movie knowing little to nothing other than Brandon Cronenberg was at the helm, and Mia Goth was staring. I heard it was artsy, and "disturbing" but that should've meant it was right up my alley. What I found out was that, while the film's acting + visuals + base story concept were good....it just felt a little underwhelming.

Let's start with what was good. Like I said, the acting is pretty good from the two main leads. Mia Goth goes over the top, and Alexander Skarsgard goes more realistic and human, which is a good contrast. Visuals are pretty good, same with the sound. The story has a premise that will get you interested in the first 30 minutes, dealing with a rich resort and a local government that loves to clone. However, this is where it has problems.

The story and characters are its biggest problem. They're not bad per se, but they are not are par with the rest of the film. I feel like the cronenbergs always have great ideas, but cannot execute on the characters and fleshing out of the story. You don't relate to the main character "James" all that much. I can sympathise with him, and I kinda liked him but it just wasn't enough. Same with Mia Goth, you never see why the way she is other than maybe inferences (stuff that would spoil the movie). It just needed a special something in the story department to top it off, but we don't get that.

If you like these types of experimental and artsy movies, then I would recommend giving it a shot (you love it). However, if you're more of a casual movie goer, you can probably skip. Unless you wanna pop a couple edibles and have a very weird night. However, Avatar or Puss in Boots would probably give you a better experience in that department.

Premise: Not-so-successful writer seeking inspiration for his next book travels to a La Tolqa, a fictional Eastern-bloc country set on what appears to be the Black Sea. He quickly is sucked into socializing with a group of Western tourists who have discovered a quirk in the host country's legal system: Any crime you commit in the host country can be "redeemed" with a large payment to the local officials and a type of ceremony where a doppelgänger of the criminal is created and then executed in place of the "real" self.

In short, the heart of the horror is a sort of reverse-Dorian Gray where morally repugnant acts are carved-off as a separate entity and then destroyed, leaving the perpetrator to indulge in further acts of depravity.

So, what is left of the "real" self in such an arrangement? (If you have seen "Possessor," the thematic preoccupation is very similar.)

The two central characters are Skarsgard's "James" and Goth's "Gabi." From the beginning, James proves himself to be an empty vessel who is more than willing to be towed out to sea by the beguiling (and increasingly cruel) siren Gabi. Despite the presence of his wife at the resort, James abandons any loyalties he might have to her or her own concerns with what is going on. And, in contrast to newcomer-James, Gabi's social circle appears to have existed in this bizarre world of excess and violent privilege for, well, forever. Yet, they seem to effortlessly enter and exit that world at will (back to Los Angeles, of course!).

But what about James? What he becomes and where he ends up in the closing segments are far from clear. (Emptier than what he already was? A shell of a shell?).

"Infinity Pool" is a confident but cold movie. It reminds me quite a bit of the cult-group/occult horror movies that were made circa 1969-1974. The film uses quite a bit of arthouse-style flash imagery (the hues are different, but I was reminded of Norm Li's work in Panos Cosmatos' films). And despite the events taking place on a linear narrative, they are nonetheless sometimes difficult to follow due to Cronenberg's cinematic choices. In short, I can understand the polarizing reviews. I myself have mixed feelings. The film is very well done, the acting top-notch, and Cronenberg certainly attempts much more than the average horror flick director. But the "point" of the film is not always clear . . . And I felt like soaking in Dawn after viewing it. Recommended, with an asterisk.

A holiday with your girl takes quite a turn, you only came for a short stay, a brief sojourn, but when returning from the beach, an accident, leads to a breach, and the next day you're arrested, and interned. As you have wealth, you can settle and walk free, an odd procedure and some strange hyperbole, but a boundary's been stepped over, no longer fixed in an enclosure, plus there's a catalyst, to incite, who's full of glee.

Mia Goth, as the seductive Gabi Bauer, alongside her hedonistic friends, introduce the somewhat innocent James Foster, more than ably performed by Alexander Skarsgård, to their limitless world of excess, a world that doesn't quite reward him quite as well as it does his newly found playmates.

Great performances, kaleidoscopic cinematography, original in its interpretation, worth a watch, but you may well wish you hadn't, a bit like James.