Infinity Pool Movie Review
- Apr 4, 2023
- 4 min read
*Spoiler free
First of all, how the hell do we describe what this film is about? Umm... we watched this film for just over an hour and a half and we still can't tell you what its about. Here is our poor attempt at rounding up the madness in this movie.
A couple, James and Em, go on a vacation for a little quiet time and it soon changes when they are met with our modern scream queen, Mia Goth. It turns from the holiday of dreams to an absolute nightmare when an accidental death occurs and James has to deal with the brutality of the islands laws.
Story
A disclaimer before you watch this absolutely insane movie, you may have to use google afterwards... It's definitely one of those movies that could be considered high art with its ambitious yet ambiguous plot that keeps you guessing from start to finish. The movie is full of hidden meanings and it never spoon feeds the plot to its viewers. For us at Hangtime Horror, this can be a hit or miss type of horror film but we can personally say that the story is interesting enough for the runtime and the script has enough meat on the bones to give each character their due diligence. There were aspects to the story that could have had more focus but was instead a character study that delved deep into the psyche of the main character James (Alexander Skarsgard) and his complete opposite, Gabi (Mia Goth). Brandon Cronenberg (The Possessor, Antiviral) is obviously a visual storyteller (more on that later) that has surprised us with his style and flair which ultimately shows in the finished product. This makes us want to watch more of his projects and see how he differentiates his style from his father, David Cronenberg (The Fly, A History of Violence).
Visuals
Visually, this movie is beautifully shot with some dynamic camera movements that kept us invested. The movie had an arthouse feel while also looking like it had a studio budget and this may be due to the fluid camera movements while also having a lot of negative space (which usually shows up in lower budget films). The movie has sequences of kaleidoscopic qualities which literally made us question whether we should be aroused or disgusted, a bit of both maybe. Unfortunately, we feel like these sequences are drawn out too much and detract from the overall films story, which was already confusing as hell. With the name Cronenberg attached to the film, we had expectations about the level of gore and body horror that we would witness but unfortunately it doesn't have enough of either. This made us feel rather deflated and disappointed, but this may be due to our overabundance of joy to horrific gory scenes. This didn't ruin our enjoyment into the mystery the film was trying to present, it just went against our expectations but the little amount of gore they did have was very well done and presented in a satisfying way. Talking about expectations being shattered, the visual storytelling takes a turn in a certain sequence that will leave you dumbfounded and pleasantly surprised. The movie pulls the rug from underneath you with its visual storytelling and is a breath of fresh air in a genre of 'Been there, done that'.
Acting
It goes without saying, Mia Goth (X, Pearl) carried the film with her dark sense of humour and a performance that will be unforgettable. Recently, we watched Pearl and we were blown away by her emotional range and this film is no exception. She has an ability to put 100% into every role, no matter how twisted, that you believe every word she says. Not only is she great with her acting chops but her physical acting seems taxing but makes for a brilliant performance. We can already tell that Mia Goth has created some very iconic scenes in this film that will stick with us. It's not often that a co-lead gets mentioned before the lead but it is very true for this film. Alexander Skarsgard (The Northman, Godzilla vs. Kong) gets totally outshined by Mia Goth but this was by no means a less impressive performance. In fact, this feels like a very different type of film for him as he continues to show his amazing physical performance as shown in his previous films like the Northman. Other than the two leads, the other characters were forgettable and would have benefited from more scenes involving them but this feels like a writing problem, rather than an acting problem.
Editing and Sound Design
Initially, the film feels like a slow burn but when the movie starts flowing, it never stops. We feel like the movie is the perfect length for this genre of horror and doesn't outstay its welcome but the slow reveal of the mystery may make certain audiences impatient. As mentioned previously, the Kaleidoscopic moments are well edited and make you feel like you have been on an acid trip. Oppositely, the slow, brooding editing throughout the rest of film build tension in the right places and keeps you on the edge of your seat. We literally feel the dread of James and feel like we are living it with him (in the best possible way) with some darkly humorous moments that give levity to the gloomy story, highlighted by the editing style. In regard to the sound design, it meshed well with what was happening on the screen and the music complimented the scenes well, integrating you into the moment.
Summary
Overall, we enjoyed our time with Infinity Pool with its ambitious story, top of the range acting and beautiful visuals. Unfortunately, we don't think this movie will be for everyone but we implore to try it out.
We rate this film: 3.5/5
What did you think? Let us know below!
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