Review of Crimes of the Future (2022) by Rebel_Panda — 03 Jun 2022

I was in shock after this ended. All I could do was sit there and watch the credits roll. When I finally walked out, the usher said “Wow, you survived,” because multiple people walked out early. “Survived” is a very appropriate word for this, it’s not something you watch, but endure.

I get the strong sensation that Cronenberg is disillusioned with modern film and wanted to make his own attempt at progressing the art medium forward. With all of the discussion of corpses, body parts, and conflating art with mutilation, the message comes across clearly.

The “Crimes of the Future” the title refers to are committed by the people in Cronenberg’s dystopia who embrace the evolution of art and mutating human anatomy. Police, bureaucrats, and conservatives are the enemy here, they prevent change at all costs because of fear.

Whereas the ones willing to test the limits of art, consumers, and the human body are the trailblazers. There is no clear good or evil, only a hopeful destination that lies ahead, as the abrupt ending suggests.