Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool

[agent999 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close agent999]

So it turns out there's a swanky new Curzon multiplex (never thought I'd live to see an arthouse multiplex!) recently opened near me so Infinity Pool is playing. The film has the cumshot in it, and the orgy sequence didn't look choppy so I assume it is uncut in the UK (hard to think the MPAA would pass any of that). I enjoyed it, but Possessor was better. The rich arseholes abusing the natives theme reminded me a bit of Naked Lunch, but I think he's distancing himself more from his father's work (apart from the gore and exploitation elements and a nod to Dead Ringers with a dual role). He seems to have done away with any pretence at having a plot though. Very odd seeing the Universal logo in front of something so extreme. As usual, Karim Hussain is the star player.

[Randy G Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Randy G]

This is uncut on Telus for rental/streaming. Iy was fun, not as good as Possessor but looks and sounds great.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

A domestic uncut UHD steelbook release is coming 8/29/23.

https://amzn.to/42JKL1w

[JoeS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoeS]

Brandon Cronenberg's latest begins as another Vacation Gone Wrong thriller and then sharply veers into Michael Crichton Westworld/Coma territory with a dollop of Frankenheimer's SECONDS (not to mention a lot of Cronenberg family de rigueur weirdness).

Author James Foster (Alexander Skarsgård) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are taking a workation in the fictional retreat of Li Tolqa. James quickly falls under the spell of Gabi (Mia Goth) and her husband Alban (Jalil Lespert) and foolishly follows them off the grounds of the guarded and gated compound.

Things escalate quickly and Cronenberg (who also scripted) gives away much of the game pretty early on. Once the device is divulged it becomes an ever more convoluted mind game. There's a theme of duality that is interesting but never truly explored. Cronenberg seems more absorbed in the style than the substance here (on that front, he's not his father's son). The gore and sex is quite explicit but it seems more sensationalist than transformative, not to mention repetitive (the seconds are okay, but once you get to thirds and fourths it gets monotonous). It's a well made movie on a budget shot beautifully by Karim Hussain with a driving electronic score by Tim Hecker. Cronenberg's framing and editing constantly keeps the viewer off balance, but, to only modest effect. The ending isn't much of a revelation, nor terribly edifying.

Goth continues to be an MVP of offbeat indie productions and has the best moments in the movie, particularly a drunken take-down of James as a man and a writer. Skarsgård and the rest of the ensemble do good work, as well.



INFINITY POOL is currently streaming on Hulu and is available to rent in the $4 range. It's on DVD, Blu Ray and 4KUHD.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

I didn't much enjoy it when I saw it, but it made me think lol in my downtime. So, I watched it again and enjoyed it much more.