Every critic with some kind of name have been competing to claim that Cronenberg clearly is influenced by his own dad, but still stand on his own legs. But truth be told, Antiviral is basically a David Cronenberg film shot by his son. Oh, no. It's still a film by Brandon but it's far beyond "influenced", it's one piece of David's flesh deconnected from his body and grown into a separate entity - and that includes Brandon himself. And make no mistake, I love it. This is easily one of my top ten movies of 2013 (I know it was released in festivals last year, but DVD and BD was this year and that what counts for me)! Big words, eh? Yeah, and I'm proud of them.
The year is probably 2012 or soimething similar. It's not the future. The world evolves around celebrities on a scale never before. The stars sell their colds, their herpes viruses, their flus, to companies who manfactures them and sells them to fans who wants to have the exact same illness as their idols. Special restaurants also breed artifical flesh made from the celebrity-DNA. So it's a very weird world. We follow Syd March (Caleb Landry Jones), who works for Lucas, one of the top-companies in the game. He detracts and sells illnesses to the clients. He's also a bootlegger and sells the viruses to pirates. Now he's in deep trouble. He's been trying out a new illness from superstar Hannah Geist (Sarah Gadon) and suddenly finds himself dying... why is that? Is it murder? An accident... soon he gets sucked into some deep problems!
There's so much David Cronenberg in this movie. From the presence of a shady company dealing with bodily functions, an interactive video-service which deals with humiliation of celebrity women, artificial steaks, a leading man getting more involved in something weird he can't handle, stiff bureaucrats... the only thing that differs totally is how Brandon have shot it. His father always liked earth colours, small details in the background, odd characters sneaking in and out of the story - Brandon has instead cut everything that doesn't give anything to the story, shooting in sterile environments, using very cold characters etc. But it's still a movie only someone from the Cronenberg-family could have done.
At first I was afraid that Caleb Landry Jones very low-key, sleepy performance would make me loose interest in the story, but soon I realized that he's so damn radiant it just takes a while to get through to him. He's there, completely, 100 % all the time - but almost asleep from the boring, unexciting life he lives dealing with selling sick dreams to people with no lifes. He's stuck in an exotic office hell, trying to make his life more exciting with turning illegal. He's basically in every scene of the movie and rules it. He's the king of sickness here.
Something you could expect is more gore, more juicy details. But Antiviral is not that extreme on the visual side, instead it's packed with disgusting concepts - and in all honesty, those celebrity steaks being served made me sick. I still feel uncomfortable watching them. A bit rubbery, a bit Quorn, pale and fleshy... it's such a fucking bizarre idea. And brilliant. You will also find a very Videodrome-esque hallucination, which is very cool.
Antiviral is an oddity among oddities. But it works all the way through, introducing thought-provocing ideas and characters on the edge of depression. Deeply recommended.
"Every critic with some kind of name have been competing to claim that Cronenberg clearly is influenced by his own dad, but still stand on his own legs. But truth be told, Antiviral is basically a David Cronenberg film shot by his son."
I think I know what you mean.....Brandon is inspired by his father´s ideas but puts his own spin on them.
"This is easily one of my top ten movies of 2013 (I know it was released in festivals last year, but DVD and BD was this year and that what counts for me)! Big words, eh? Yeah, and I'm proud of them."
I haven´t seen it yet, but alot of people like it, you included.
"Special restaurants also breed artifical flesh made from the celebrity-DNA."
Yuck......Brandon is just as twisted as dad.....which of course is great.
"There's so much David Cronenberg in this movie. From the presence of a shady company dealing with bodily functions, an interactive video-service which deals with humiliation of celebrity women, artificial steaks, a leading man getting more involved in something weird he can't handle, stiff bureaucrats... the only thing that differs totally is how Brandon have shot it."
Yeah, they seem to share themes.
"His father always liked earth colours, small details in the background, odd characters sneaking in and out of the story - Brandon has instead cut everything that doesn't give anything to the story, shooting in sterile environments, using very cold characters etc."
David has done similiar stuff, in Crash(1996), Cosmopolis(2012), etc but I am curious to see what Brandon can do.
"Something you could expect is more gore, more juicy details. But Antiviral is not that extreme on the visual side, instead it's packed with disgusting concepts - and in all honesty, those celebrity steaks being served made me sick. I still feel uncomfortable watching them. A bit rubbery, a bit Quorn, pale and fleshy... it's such a fucking bizarre idea. And brilliant. You will also find a very Videodrome-esque hallucination, which is very cool."
Brandons time as a goremaster might be in the future.....the celeb barbecue might happen any day now....Scarlett Johansson sold an used tissue on ebay for charity.
The price?
5 300 dollars
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7796991.stm
Completely crazy but logic in this celeb obsessed world.
Your description of the steaks reminds me of the computers in eXistenZ(1999).......puts goosebumps on my skin.
"Antiviral is an oddity among oddities. But it works all the way through, introducing thought-provocing ideas and characters on the edge of depression. Deeply recommended."
I will see it someday, good review and thanks.
Posted by: Megatron | August 10, 2013 at 13:55