Spoiler Warning: This discussion contains some spoilers. It could be an entire gag from a comedy or in-depth conversation concerning events in the second act.
"The sensation of moving backwards even though we are moving forwards, getting further from what's getting nearer, sometimes I just can't stand it."
High Life, Claire Denis' somewhat under-the-radar science fiction mystery that I had forgotten about in the nebulous limbo of the pandemic season. It is one of the strangest movies I've seen in a while, riddled with morbid oddities and future visions of humanity's survival. The production design and absurd sexual habits - looking almost specifically at the void-like masturbation box here - reminded me of A Clockwork Orange in many ways. Who knows? Maybe it was the general disdain for human life from some of its characters and its central humanist themes that touch more on love than its visual proclivity to concentrate on violence.
Denis' arthouse take on space travel owes much more to Kubrick's 2001 and Tarkovsky's Solaris than say something still considered to be a little more alternative like Interstellar or Gravity. It leans on metaphor rather than spectacle, with Pattinson and a newborn baby taking up the brunt of the narrative groundwork - everything leads back to that opening connection between Pattinson's Monte and Willow. Sure, we get some spaghettification (great word), and it seems intent on showing some fierce gore in its climactic sequences at the pinnacle of each act, but it places a great deal more of its emphasis on the open-ended finale and the resonance of a dog. It's a unique combination of ideas that span out superbly in Denis' image.
Pattinson is impressive as always, continuing on the weird indie streak that propelled him back into the vanguard. His performance here isn't a patch on Good Time, but this asks for a significantly more reserved turn from him with only the slight glimpses of that explosive energy he has. Juliette Binoche, André 3000, Mia Goth, and a really evil little turn from Ewan Mitchell are all superb additions and help to elevate the supporting cast in a film that needs that strong ensemble. I do think it's a gorgeous film, intricately macabre and overflowing with cum; you're hardly going to see anything else like this again for a long time.
Regardless, High Life failed to really stand out to me. Its interesting ideas and exciting presentation were not consistent enough to stand alongside the greats that influenced it. It's a slow burner, but without much literal payoff for many of its concepts - it relies on you a lot which can be a 50/50 result. Here, it works better than most, but it doesn't stop it from feeling a little redundant at times. Gorgeous movie impressively made for what was, in retrospect, a tiny budget, but I still feel like there was more to be had here.
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