Guided by a seductive and mysterious woman, a couple on vacation venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism and untold horror. A tragic accident soon leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you'll be executed, or, if you're rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead.
Director: Brandon Cronenberg
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalil Lespert, Thomas Kretschmann, Amanda Brugel
Release Date: January 27, 2023
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rated R for graphic violence, disturbing material, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and some language
Runtime: 1h 57m
Review:
Infinity Pool is a nightmarish, hallucinogenic fever dream of a film that keeps you off balance throughout. Brandon Cronenberg's is disorienting almost from the moment it starts and it rarely lets the gas off the petal as it descends further into twisted tale. His film borrows inspiration from the work of Kubrick, Polanski, Giallo and his father's earlier films. Together it makes for strangely beautiful collection of wonderfully composed shots of horrible images that leave a lasting impression. A handful of scenes area a full-on assault on the senses which will leave your retinas burning if you don't break into an elliptic seizure. This is the type of film that delivers certain sequences which will be burned into your mind and linger long after the film's finished. The madness onscreen wouldn't work as well if you didn't have such committed turns from the film's leads. Luckily, Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth are locked in throughout delivered layered but gonzo performances. Skarsgård's uses his general good looks to his advantage by playing against type as the film's reveals the sad sack of man his character truly is. It’s incredibly effective especially since the film keeps you wondering who or what we are watching make great use of the unreliable narrator. Mia Goth continues her recent hot streak with another fascinating turn that ranges from alluring to manipulative to malicious. Goth moves so easily between these different emotions and attitudes that you can't keep her eyes off her when she's onscreen. Skarsgård and Goth make for an excellent juxtaposition as his turn is far more subtle and measured while she slowly reveals the extent of her character's manic depravity with impressive aplomb. The story once you have a moment to gather your thought is thematically dense enough to leave you thinking about what it’s trying to say about the excesses of the rich among other things. Infinity Pool isn't the kind of film that will be for everyone but that doesn't make it any less impactful or effective.
A
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