Infinity Baby

Recently screened at the 60th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival, Bob Byington's "Infinity Baby" has all the hallmarks of modern independent film – a quirky concept masking a comment on the modern human condition, crisp (black and white) cinematography, a soundtrack by some hip musician and a cast of indie stalwarts. Combined they make for a film that, at 71 minutes, actually makes you wish it had fleshed out its ideas a bit more.

Set in the not-so-distant future, screenwriter Onur Tukel's quirky concept at play is that through a stem-cell research project gone bad, there are now about a thousand babies running around being "marketed" by a company (Infinity Baby) that never age and can be fed and be expected to poop just once a week. They never grow up. A ha! The same can be said for the film's protagonist Ben, an employee of the company and commitment-phobic guy who dates women just long enough to have his mother disapprove of them and then move on. A side plot involves two other employees of the company looking to make a quick buck by keeping one of the babies for a while, but things fall apart pretty quickly.

The film is on "hold review" so a full critique will have to wait, but there's much to like about this film, beginning with the cast – Kieran Culkin as the man-child, Megan Mullally as his mother, Nick Offerman as the company boss (they're both Executive Producers on the film,) as well as Martin Starr, Kevin Corrigan and Stephen Root.

The film looks good with cinematography by Matthias Grunsky and some retro-editing by Kris Boustedt. The film sounds good with a soundtrack by Aesop Rock. Director Bob Byington has indicated in some interviews that it might be re-edited, so perhaps its interesting premise will be expanded on in future screenings and before its eventual release.

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This is not necessarily a laugh-out-loud comedy (save for a few moments), but it made for a really entertaining watch. The intriguing premise sets up a quirky, unique world with fascinating and memorable characters. Most viewers were probably drawn to this film because of Nick Offerman, and he did a fabulous job, but the other actors embody their characters so well that Offerman's isn't even the best performance. The writing of this film is great, always pushing the story to exciting and unexpected places. Dialogue was hilarious. I particularly loved the storyline with Kieran Culkin's character Ben, which got better and better as more information was revealed about Ben. I can't think of anything bad to say about this movie. If you're into simple, low-budget indie films, give this one a shot!

"Infinity Baby" is a very strange movie and I can undestand why it's a relatively unknown little film. And, the strangest thing about it is that there really isn't much plot...mostly a lot of weird, quirky folks acting strangely. Again and again, there are funny situations which in many cases end with no real laugh or punchline. It's all quite odd...and a film that almost defies description. When it comes to plot, well, you'd think there's going to be one but instead there are just odd situations that ultimately have to do with commitment or a fear of commitment. I didn't really enjoy the picture and wish the plots had been hashed out more and more done with the whole 'Infinity Baby' notion. Strange and DEFINITELY not for all tastes.

The ending is worth the wait. But, you must endure a bleak depiction of the 21st century dating scene, and a story line that questions the motives of those who have kids for the wrong reasons. A good question, just a little awkwardly put forth. While the movie is a 7, the ending is a 9.

The film is a bit uneven with humour and pacing but it was definitely funny and quite interesting. Acting was very good and I enjoyed the dark comic satire and the implicit examination of apathy in America. Rewarding for lovers of indie film.