SushiStoner103

A high-concept surrealist thriller with a sci-fi bent. Vivarium is a strange yet compelling story about a couple who are lured into a labyrinth like neighbourhood of identical houses by an odd real estate agent with otherworldly motives. What lies beneath this wildly uneasy premise is a pessimistic allegory on the suburban life cycle. The downright bizarre nature of the films narrative does inevitably spawn complications in terms of plot, and the conscious decision to not reveal answers towards the resolution has the potential to alienate its viewers. However, the film does invite audiences to engage in conversation and to speculate theories on what it all meant. I love how the film trusts our imagination to fill in the gaps while still feeling complete for what it was trying to achieve.

What really stands out is the world in which the film creates. The uniquely mundane production design and attention to diegetic reality assists in creating a dread inducing atmosphere. The mind bending dream logic adds to the feeling of hopelessness and isolation. This is also accomplished through the Stylistic choices in editing and cinematography.

I found the role of Jesse Eisenberg's character to be a somewhat refreshing detour from his usual annoying antics and Imogen Poots really steals the show with her gut wrenching performance. I have read reviews criticising the concept to be in the likes of black mirror or a twilight episode and is much rather suited for a 30 minute short, which is fair enough but a 30 minute duration just wound't do the film justice. I preferred the slow building of tension and unraveling of plot. Most importantly I was invested throughout the entire runtime.

Ultimately Vivarium is a very creative experiment on the human condition and does provoke thought with its outlandish ideas. Its difficult to express my opinion without spoiling the movie, I will recommend movie-goers to go into the film blind and refrain from watching the trailer or reading into the synopsis. It will for sure divide audiences and is by no means for everyone.

Everest could have been the next epic inspirational survival thriller, could have been that is. It's a biography which I understand, but it's rather bland. I found it difficult to identify the protagonist or simply follow the characters due to its location. The first act is aimed to soften up the characters, well their attempt at creating character development, the 2nd act was a slow paced, tedious journey to the top of the mountain, which felt like an eternity to reach its climax, until the last act where I was blinded by a snow storm and deafened by the howling wind. I see that's the point but at least I want to experience the characters rather than the environment. Despite its slow and distracting pace there were infrequent intense moments but very few and very far apart. The 3D wasn't utilized very well, it focused more on the depth, but my eyes easily adjusted to their norm. Again this could have been a character driven, emotional drama thriller, with intense disastrous sequences, I am aware there are a few snow storm survival thrillers but with a great cast and a capable director they could have done it right, loss of potential in my eyes anyhow.