Crimes of the Future
Introduction
It is still a Wednesday and I am keeping up with some of the International content doing the rounds across the globe. And with that I finished watching Crimes Of The Future last night which had earlier premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year. What is more is that the film had received a 6 minute standing ovation which meant the credits of the film were good. Directed by David Cronenberg who had earlier directed a 1970 film by the same name but with a different story, all I knew about the film was that this is a body horror – a genre which is very less tapped(relatively) even across the globe. So then is Crimes Of The Future worth your time, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
Usually, I begin this segment with describing the story of the film in a couple of lines. But here I wish that my readers go into the film blind, having as less knowledge about the film as possible. This is because the story of the film is such that it will surprise you and in a big way! It is fresh and something that I had not witnessed before. The amalgamation of two distinctly different genres Body Horror and Sci-Fi is done here, making the story very interesting and novel. The screenplay at well under 2 hours means that it is consistently eventful.
I must admit, it took me some amount of time to wrap my head around the drama. The seemingly unrelated events at the start depicted an intriguing yet vague picture of what the drama stood for. But it was so different and unlike anything that I had seen before that it had my attention throughout. The layered screenplay keeps throwing in answers to your questions every now and then, so I would suggest to just allow yourself that much more time.
What I really liked about the writing was that it was sharp and had a clever commentary on the authorities which could easily be translated in today’s times. The issue dealt with is novel but the situation remains the same as current day. The proceedings are engaging and consistently engrossing. The twists and turns are interesting leading up to the final act which is bl**dy brilliant which overlaps the two seemingly unrelated incidents in its narrative(about halfway through the film). The screenplay is brilliant here!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational and it demands your unwavering attention to truly understand the nuances of the screenplay. And the more you dig deep, the more engaging they would be. The BGM is engaging and it blends well with the mood of the drama, adding a lot of ambience to it. The cinematography aesthetically captures some of the most graphic and gruesome scenes making it easily palatable. Director David Cronenberg has a certain level of panache to his craft. Here, he was successfully able to absorb you into this rather mysterious world before kick starting a story around it. His direction is stupendous.
Performances
The performances are brilliant. Scott Speedman as Lang is excellent and there are so many layers to his performance towards the end. Tanaya Beatty and Nadia Litz both have their moments to shine as does Lihi Kornowski as Djuna and Welket Bungue as Cope. Kristen Stewart as Timlin is quite a conflicting character who will keep you guessing on which side she is on. And it was a stupendous performance! Lea Seydoux as Caprice is well measured and mysterious in her performance. Viggo Mortensen as Saul is absolutely fabulous to watch. This was essentially a towering act which takes you on a roller coaster of sorts.
Conclusion
Crimes Of The Future is a brilliant concept backed by an even better execution! This comes with my highest recommendation!