Infinity Pool

 

Written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, Infinity Pool is the story of a vacationing couple who spend their time at an island resort where they meet a mysterious woman who takes them to a world outside of the resort that is anything but idyllic. The film is a sci-fi horror film that explores a couple who enters a world that forces them to confront their own desires and such as well as issues relating to their marriage. Starring Mia Goth, Alexander Skarsgard, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalil Lespert, Amanda Brugel, and Thomas Krestchmann. Infinity Pool is a disturbing yet ravishing film from Brandon Cronenberg.

Set in a fictional European country where a couple is vacationing at an island resort isolated from a poor country, the film follows this couple who meets a woman who takes them to a world outside of the resort where things aren’t idyllic with the husband succumbing to vices and such beyond his control including actions where he is forced to watch a double be created for his execution. It is a film that explores this writer who is trying to create a second book until he meets this woman and her husband as they take part in decadence until an incident leaves the writer guilt-ridden until he learns about something that doesn’t allow him to be punished but it comes with a price. Brandon Cronenberg’s screenplay does have a straightforward narrative as it plays into a vacation that novelist James Foster (Alexander Skarsgard) and his wife Emily (Cleopatra Coleman) as they’re in this idyllic island but are unaware of what is outside of their resort until they meet actress Gabi Bauer (Mia Goth) and her architect husband Alban (Jalil Lespert) where they rent a car outside of the resort for a picnic where things get weird and later dark where James gets in trouble with everyone witnessing what happened.

What follows is an arrest for James over what happened as its police chief in Detective Thresh (Thomas Krestchmann) reveals that the penalty is death yet James is given an offer to have a double fill in for him with a hefty fee that would also allow him and Emily to watch the execution. What happens is a key moment in the film where James realizes what he can get away with his actions as he also learned that Gabi and Alban have also done the same thing with other rich tourists. Notably as they use their wealth to do things and create doubles to watch them be executed for their crimes as James would enjoy it at first but Emily is disgusted as she would leave the resort leaving James to be with the Bauers and their friends in acts of decadence that eventually would take a toll on him. Notably as guilt starts to emerge with the Bauers and their friends playing awful pranks that would become more gruesome.

Cronenberg’s direction definitely bears a lot of style in not just his approach to suspense, horror, and drama but also in dark humor in some places as well as bringing in elements of surrealism. Shot largely on location at the Amadria Park resort in Sibenik, Croatia with additional locations shot outside of Budapest, Hungary and bits in Toronto. Cronenberg creates something that does feel idyllic in this resort where there beaches are gorgeous and there’s plentiful of food while the tourists are largely protected except for a key moment when a citizen rides a vehicle on the beach is when James and Emily meet Gabi who claims to be a fan of James’ only novel. Cronenberg would employ some unique extreme close-ups that does play into James’ attraction towards Gabi including a scene at a beachside picnic outside of the resort where James is urinating offsite until Gabi comes behind him and does something to increase their attraction. There are also some unique wide and medium shots that Cronenberg creates that includes the very first meeting James have with the Bauers’ friends as their faces aren’t shown except for James and Gabi.

The direction also has Cronenberg play into these elements of violence and surrealism with the latter playing into these hallucinogenic moments where Gabi introduces James to a hallucinogen that would bring in strange visions and take part in orgies as he becomes attracted towards Gabi. Yet, the parties eventually become chaotic where the people James surrounds himself with are people of power who come to the island every year to commit horrible crimes and get away with it as this sense of immorality starts to come ahead. Notably in its third act where the violence is intense as it relates to James’ own revelations in not just his guilt but also the fact that he is part of a small circle that comes from money except that he is married to money. All of which makes him an easy target for Gabi and her friends to be part of a toxic world that allows themselves to get away with anything including death for a brief moment in time. Overall, Cronenberg crafts a harrowing yet intoxicating film about a novelist’s vacation into Hell filled with ideas of cheating death and getting away with all sorts of things due to his privilege.

Cinematographer Karim Hussein does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of lights for some of the interior scenes at night including some of the hallucinogenic scenes while emphasizing on some natural lighting for some of the daytime exterior scenes. Editor James Vandewater does excellent work with the editing as it is stylized with some unique jump-cuts to play into some of the film’s surreal moments as well as its suspense along with straight cuts to help long shots linger for a few minutes. Production designer Zosia Mackenzie, with set decorator Rita Hetenyi plus art directors Clara Farkas and John O’Regan, does amazing work with the look of the home that the Bauers live in as well as the interiors in the resorts as well as the rooms where the doubles are made. Costume designer Maria Fater does fantastic work with the clothes that the characters wearing including some of the stylish clothes that Gabi wears that often shows her cleavage.

Hair designers Anna Cichon and Daniel Losco, along with makeup designers Rita Balla and Svetlana Gutic, do brilliant work with the look of the characters including some of the masks they would wear as well as some of the surreal moments in the film where makeup is prevalent. Special effects supervisor Paul Stephenson and visual effects supervisor Andy Robinson do terrific work with the visual effects for some of the surreal moments in the film along with some key violent moments in the film. Sound designers Rob Bertola and Alex Bullick, along with sound editor Jill Purdy, do superb work with the sound in creating unique sound textures in some of the surreal moments in the film as well as the sounds from natural locations as it is a highlight of the film.

The film’s music by Tim Hecker is phenomenal for its electronic-based score with elements of ambient textures as well as some brooding synthesizers as it adds to the film’s disturbing tone as it is a major highlight of the film while it also includes a soundtrack featuring music from Sook-Yin Lee & Adam Litovitz, Clinic, Derek & Brendan Fletcher, Timbre Timbre, Jim Williams, and the trio of Anand Chitragupth, Milind Chitragupth, and Sameer Anjaan.

The casting by Mark Bennett and Deirdre Bowen is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Kristof Kovacs as a young boy who takes part in the execution, Gergely Troscany as a posh local Gabi and her friends rob, Caroline Boulton as a posh actress in Bex, Jeffrey Ricketts as Bex’s husband Charles, John Ralston as the posh Dr. Bob Modan, Amanda Brugel as Dr. Modan’s wife Jennifer, and Thomas Krestchmann in a superb performance as a police detective in Thresh who allows James the chance to get away from his crimes through a fee as a way to not create any more trouble. Jalil Lespert is excellent as Gabi’s architect husband Alban as a man who likes to take part in debauchery as he also takes part in open relationships with others as he does a lot to enable James’ bad behavior. Cleopatra Coleman is amazing as James’ wife Emily as a woman who is troubled by her husband’s behavior as well as the presence of the Bauers as she doesn’t like what James can get away with due to the laws in this country prompting her to leave.

Alexander Skarsgard is incredible as James Foster as a novelist trying to come up with ideas for another book as he gets involved in a serious event that has him become guilty until he learns about a law that allows a double to fill in for his own execution. Skarsgard brings some humor into the role but also a lot of emotional weight as guilt starts to come in as well as the fact that he becomes a pawn in a world where the rich can get away with anything as long as they have money. Finally, there’s Mia Goth in an outstanding performance as Gabi Bauer as this actress who likes to goad James into doing bad things and get away with it but also seduce him. Goth’s performance is this wild firecracker who doesn’t just exude sex appeal but also charisma that allows herself to be front and center as well as do bad things and enjoy it as it is a career-defining performance for Goth.

Infinity Pool is a spectacular film from Brandon Cronenberg that features great performances from Alexander Skarsgard and Mia Goth. Along with its supporting cast, eerie music score, gorgeous yet hypnotic visuals, and a gripping story of guilt and privilege. It is a film that doesn’t play nice while also doing what it can to showcase what people could do in a foreign land and get away with it all because they have money and status. In the end, Infinity Pool is a tremendous film from Brandon Cronenberg.

Brandon Cronenberg Films: (Antiviral) – (Possessor)

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