While the excess may be the point, Infinity Pool keeps making the same point over and over without much commentary.
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It's not uncommon for the children of famous artists to become artists themselves. Whether it's via increased resources via nepotism and fame, being in an environment where artistic expression is encouraged or even expected, or simply being around the craft enough to appreciate it and develop an interested in it, it's not surprising that the children of actors become actors themselves or that the son of David Bowie, Duncan Jones went on the create numerous sci-fi movies. What's more rare is for the child to hit similar points and fascinations in their art. And yet, that's what Brandon Cronenberg, the son of famed body horror legend David Cronenberg has done, especially in his latest messy movie Infinity Pool.
The Setup
Alexander Skarsgård plays James Foster, a novelist who is enjoying a vacation with his affluent wife Em at an exclusive and isolated island resort. But when James and Em meet another couple named Gabi and Alban, James is roped into a hedonistic lifestyle that may take his foibles to incredibly dark places.
Infinity Pool is not going to be for everyone. Not to say Cronenberg's previous work was but Possessor, Cronenberg's last movie was so slickly produced and broody that you might be able to embrace it as a heady bit of sci-fi "what if" versus a descent into hedonistic madness...which Infinity Pool absolutely is.
At first glance the movie has the look and feel of an adult oriented-thriller a la, The Talented Mr. Ripley where our lead couple, with obvious tensions between them, meet an intriguing and entrancing couple who push their boundaries and test their relationship. But almost immediately it's clear that the mysterious new couple's goals are more insidious. They openly break rules that are designed for patron safety and are sexually forward in a way even swingers might considered rude.
Which is where the movie introduces its actual hook, so slight spoiler ahead.
After an outing of mild debauchery, James is driving the two couples back to the hotel when he accidentally hits a man with his car and kills him. Once the police discover that James is responsible, James fled the accident and didn't call the police, they offer him an unusual option. He could either go to jail for his mistakes...or alow a clone of him to die in his place. Said clone would even get to be killed by the father's young son.
From there, it's revealed to James that Gabi and Alban are part of a group of rich folks who hang out around the island doing heinous things knowing that this is an option and taking advantage at every turn in a combination of violence, sex, and substance abuse.
It's a solid merger of social commentary about how the rich can seemingly live multiple lives with minimal consequences while average people have one life to live where circumstances and forces beyond their control, notably the persuasions of rich people, can take their own life away unfairly at any point in time blended with Cronenberg's own fascination with how technology can make us behave less like humans.
Does it work? It really depends on what you're looking for. As an examination of the limits that evaporate once you don't feel like consequences exist, this is as over-the-top and grotesque as advertised with multiple graphic sex scenes, drug freakouts and violence filmed in grimy and hazy lens to contrast with the film's early, slicker aesthetic.
The rapid switches back and forth between classy and trashy visuals is suitably jarring and really captures the ugly underbelly that a lot of wealth can hide from the public at large. With James as our audience POV character we can see why this lifestyle is both intriguing and grotesque in equal measure.
This is also a great turn from Mia Goth as the fully in control Gabi who is becoming a go-to performer for characters who seems to hold not just James body and journey in her hands but also his clearly fragile ego.
Where I think the movie misses the point is where a lot of movies like this miss the point. So much emphasis is put on the excess that the people who suffer at these people's expense is pushed to the side. It's the easiest critique that you can have of The Wolf of Wall Street just in a different story. The emphasis is almost all on how empty and shallow and pleasure for pleasure's sake this all is. How casually cruel it is. But rarely on how they're destroying lives that they see as disposable and using a technology that could have incredible uses for medical science to make sure they can get away with murder.
This is where I thought Possessor was much stronger since it portrays a technology that allows you to become new people over and over again as inherently dehumanizing versus killing a version of yourself over and over again.
Still this movie isn't without its shock value and is still more extreme and intriguing than many thrillers of its ilk.
The Verdict: Solid Setup Lost in Excess
While the excess may be the point, Infinity Pool keeps making the same point over and over without much commentary. 5/10
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