Writer/director David Cronenberg became a legend in the horror genre for his visceral and visionary body horror and his latest film, Crimes of the Future, undoubtedly upholds that reputation.
It takes viewers into a future where biotechnology and genetics have advanced so much that human evolution has drastically changed. Not only is medical technology so available that an everyday person can purchase machines that directly interact and control bodily functions, but internally, people have undergone radical alterations. Some can innately grow new organs while others can ingest previously uneatable material, like plastic. One of the biggest changes, though, is that most can no longer feel pain, making it possible to perform surgery on a conscious person. For some, the sensation of surgery has become so enjoyable that it’s been labeled as the “new sex.” Basically, Cronenberg has crafted a world where Pinhead and the other Cenobites from Hellraiser would nearly fit in and it’s where his unique vision of body horror absolutely thrives.
The film follows Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) and Caprice (Lea Seydoux), a pair of body performers whose act involves cutting into Saul’s body for an entire audience. So, there’s plenty of visuals that could only come from the mind of Cronenberg. It’s tough to say if what’s shown is all that crazy or even some of Cronenberg’s most gut-wrenching body horror, but there’s such realism to it that it’s totally horrifying. The rumblings of walkouts from Crimes of the Future’s Cannes premiere feel totally vindicated early on, with some of the nasty moments of these new bodily functions being introduced and watching Tenser and Caprice’s “art” in action.
Crimes of the Future is chock full of medical nightmares that range from grotesque open-body surgeries to a chilling vision of this “new sex.” Even some of the machinery used to improve bodily functions, like a gross-looking chair meant to help people eat, instantly creeps you out and helps craft this eerie vision of this future. The great performances from the entire cast also add to the strange atmosphere of this world through their beliefs and transcended views of these genetic advancements. Their fascination and intrigue make you more fascinated and intrigued by all the body horror displayed on-screen and keep you hooked on this weird art world.
The dingy, extravagant, and genuinely horrifying art world Cronenberg presents is the perfect place for his body horror visuals to flourish and it’s one of the most effective and compelling aspects of Crimes of the Future. Unfortunately, everything else feels secondary, as the story and character arcs don’t match the experience and intrigue of the body horror. Overall, the philosophical execution of understanding the ins and outs of this world and its characters really makes it tough to maintain a connection to what’s happening when there isn’t any body horror on-screen.
The characters often speak too soft to hear everything they’re saying or generally speak in lofty technical terms that make it tough to invest yourself in the story. There’s this detective noir element thrown in with Saul that never feels like a prevalent part of the film and the conspiracy aspects to the later parts of the story don’t stick much. Often, you feel more connected to the characters’ interest in this world rather than the actual characters and it ultimately makes most of them forgettable.
The film also tries to build momentum around a surgery performance involving the corpse of a young boy, which it can do well at times, but it doesn’t offer satisfying conclusions. It almost feels like Cronenberg runs out of time because the “big reveals” lack any sort of satisfying shock and the conclusions with Saul’s real purpose feel weightless.
Crimes of the Future is unfortunately more style than substance, proving that Cronenberg is a visionary for crafting hypnotizing and creepy body horror but struggles to do much else.
