Cerebrum

I had never heard about writer and director Sebastien Blanc's 2022 horror movie "Cerebrum" prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2024. And given my fascination with the horror genre, of course I had to sit down and watch this movie. I was under the impression that "Cerebrum" was a horror movie, but it is more of a thriller laced with drama elements.

Now, I virtually had no idea what I was in for, as I sat down to watch the movie. And thus, writer and director Sebastien Blanc virtually had every opportunity to entertain and bedazzle me with this 2022 movie. It was an interesting enough script and storyline, and the usage of flashbacks as a way of feeding bits and pieces to the audience as to what had happened prior in the movie was a nice way of constructing the narrative.

"Cerebrum" has a small cast ensemble, and I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress. The acting performances in the movie were good, I will say that much, especially the one by Steve Oram. I have to admit that I do enjoy it when I sit down to watch a movie with all unfamiliar talents and faces on the screen.

I do believe that "Cerebrum" is a movie that is somewhat of an acquired taste, because this wasn't your average type of horror movie. So it is a movie that will cater to a certain specific target audience. And as such, then I would say that you definitely should check out the movie, because it might just be something for you.

While "Cerebrum" definitely has an interesting concept script and storyline, it is hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing. I didn't find that the storyline and script had enough layers to it to support more than a single viewing.

The movie's cover, at least the variant with the woman screaming hardly do the movie any justice.

My rating of "Cerebrum" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Interesting contemplation of consciousness and life. The main character wakes from a coma unable to speak and with questions related to the absence of his mother. In flashbacks, we see some elements related to his mother and his father. But, these memories seem to question what is a reality and what the character is fantasy.

To avoid spoilers, I will talk abstractly of themes developed. In a parallel to contemplation of AI, these ideas are explored through personhood, identity, and body integrity. The confusion of fantasy (in the form of memories) and reality propel notions of what is living, what is identity, and do both need to align.

The film has some drawbacks given the limitations of a character that largely doesn't speak, and some heavy emphasis on specific characteristics for other characters to differentiate between reality, fantasy, and the merger of the two.

Worth a watch but only for those that want to think, not be numbed by mystery and action.