Vivarium (2019)
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Stars: Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan ArisRuntime: 97 minutes
Synopsis: A young couple looking for the perfect home find themselves trapped in a mysterious labyrinth-like neighborhood of identical houses.
Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10
Verdict: "Vivarium" is a literal nightmare of a movie. It's a horror film without the scares. One that relies instead on emphasizing the terrors of aspects found in our everyday lives to make the watch an uncomfortable one.
Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg play a couple who found themselves trapped in a suburban neighborhood where all the houses look the same. In order to get out of this puzzle, they are tasked to raise a child they find in a box at the doorstep of their new house. Sounds kinda weird, right? Well, you haven't seen anything yet because weird doesn't even begin to describe what the film is. It's the type of movie that uses its unique premise to its advantage, turning it into a social commentary along the way. To me, it served as a study on marriage and parenthood, and how they can feel like a prison as time goes by. But a lot of it is left to be interpreted, and I'm sure that many will understand it differently, and that's honestly the beauty of it.
On a more technical scale, "Vivarium" benefits from having excellent performances, especially by Imogen Poots, as well as incredible CGI work and production design. Lorcan Finnegan truly managed to craft an unnerving world despite the very small budget he was allocated. However, the main issue I had with the film was its pacing towards the middle. Things started to get repetitive, and given the context of the narrative it sort of makes sense, but I feel that the time could've been used in a more efficient way to further layer the characters, who did feel a little underdeveloped.
I still very much recommend "Vivarium" as its a challenging movie that will most certainly keep people speculating. I for one cannot wait to rewatch it in order to further take part in the larger conversation it will definitely spark among cinephiles. In some ways, it's the "Mother!" of 2019.
Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg play a couple who found themselves trapped in a suburban neighborhood where all the houses look the same. In order to get out of this puzzle, they are tasked to raise a child they find in a box at the doorstep of their new house. Sounds kinda weird, right? Well, you haven't seen anything yet because weird doesn't even begin to describe what the film is. It's the type of movie that uses its unique premise to its advantage, turning it into a social commentary along the way. To me, it served as a study on marriage and parenthood, and how they can feel like a prison as time goes by. But a lot of it is left to be interpreted, and I'm sure that many will understand it differently, and that's honestly the beauty of it.
On a more technical scale, "Vivarium" benefits from having excellent performances, especially by Imogen Poots, as well as incredible CGI work and production design. Lorcan Finnegan truly managed to craft an unnerving world despite the very small budget he was allocated. However, the main issue I had with the film was its pacing towards the middle. Things started to get repetitive, and given the context of the narrative it sort of makes sense, but I feel that the time could've been used in a more efficient way to further layer the characters, who did feel a little underdeveloped.
I still very much recommend "Vivarium" as its a challenging movie that will most certainly keep people speculating. I for one cannot wait to rewatch it in order to further take part in the larger conversation it will definitely spark among cinephiles. In some ways, it's the "Mother!" of 2019.
FINAL GRADE: 7/10
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