Crimes of the Future (2022) Neon/Horror RT: 107 minutes Rated R (strong disturbing violent content and grisly images, graphic nudity, some language) Director: David Cronenberg Screenplay: David Cronenberg Music: Howard Shore Cinematography: Douglas Koch Release date: June 3, 2022 (US) Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, Scott Speedman, Don McKellar, Welket Bungue, Tanaya Beatty, Nadia Litz, Lihi Kornowski, Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, Sozos Sotiris. Box Office: $2.4M (US)/$4.5M (World)
Rating: **
I was excited when I heard David Cronenberg would be returning to his body horror roots with his new film Crimes of the Future. He hasn’t done one of those since 1999’s eXistenZ. The world has changed a lot since the final year of the 20th century. We live in a time when technology has pretty much taken over every facet of our lives. Some speculate that humanity will be all but obsolete in the near future. Others, like Cronenberg, are obsessed with the idea that humans will evolve just like their technological counterparts. He covered this very idea in 1983’s Videodrome (still one of his best!) to great effect. It makes sense for him to revisit it now that we’re well into the 21st century. Unfortunately, the effect is somewhat lessened by half-baked ideas and a lethargic approach to the weighty material.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have a peculiar relationship with some of Cronenberg’s films. The one that exemplifies this best is Dead Ringers. I hated it the first time I saw it. Hated it with a passion. I found it boring and pointless. I slept through a good portion of it. I decided to give it a rewatch when it came out on video a few months later. That time, it clicked. I came to love it. This went through my mind as I watched Crimes of the Future. Is this one of those movies that I’ll appreciate more with repeat viewings? I won’t have an answer any time soon since I have absolutely no desire to rewatch it in the foreseeable future.
Set in a dystopian future, mankind has evolved to the point where people don’t feel pain anymore. Also, they’re capable of growing new organs. It’s because of this a new government agency called the National Organ Registry has been established. It’s their function to keep track of new organ growth and other related matters. The latter includes performance artist couple Saul Tenser (Mortensen, A History of Violence) and Caprice (Seydoux, Blue Is the Warmest Color). Their act is really something. He grows new organs and she surgically removes them in front of a live audience. Two investigators, Wippet (McKellar, Last Night) and Timlin (Stewart, Spencer), become very interested in them.
The other players in Crimes of the Future include Dotrice (Speedman, Dark Blue), a grieving father who wants Saul and Caprice to perform an autopsy on his young son as part of their act. The kid was murdered by his mother due to her repulsion at his dietary habits. He was able to eat and digest plastic, a trait passed on to him by his father, the leader of a gang of revolutionaries with the same disorder. They stand for the evolution of humanity unlike the government who wants to regulate what people do with their own bodies. Gee, doesn’t that sound familiar?
I could proceed to discuss the themes of Crimes of the Future, but I’m not going to do that. Why, you ask? Simply put, I have no idea what Cronenberg is trying to say beyond expressing his fears for the future of mankind. It left me both confused and depressed. Man, this movie is freaking bleak! It’s ugly too. The apartments, offices and building are decrepit. The sky is always gray. This dystopia is as dystopian as it gets. However, there are some cool visuals. True to style, Cronenberg in conjunction with production designer Carol Spier (a longtime associate) shows us unforgettable images like a cocoon-like bed with tentacles and a feeding apparatus to help with eating and digesting. Oh, let’s not forget the squishy, jelly-like remote controls for the surgical machines. They’re cool even if they’re not dissimilar to things we saw in Videodrome and eXistenZ.
What should I say about the acting? If everybody is supposed to be depressed and/or homicidal, then it’s just fine. I shouldn’t really short sell the cast; they’re all fine actors and nobody gives a terrible performance. The problem is their characters are somewhat underwritten which is to be expected in a crowded screenplay where it’s never clear what’s going on. Here’s the deal, I didn’t like Crimes of the Future. I found it boring, muddled and pretty damn near-pointless. I struggled to stay awake. The only saving grace is some of the imagery. The rest of it is a loss. Rather, I’m at a loss to explain what I just saw. Maybe I really need to rewatch it at some point. Stay tuned.
