Review of Infinity Pool (2023) by Bertobellamy — 02 Apr 2023

'Infinity Pool' is not even close to 'Possessor,' but at least it has some ideas about the savagery that inhabits us, toxic masculinity, how consequences shape our world, and the cultural exploitation and appropriation by the rich.

Mia Goth, as always, delivers a chilling performance as a twisted woman completely given to her wildest side. Salute or new horror queen!

I wish we'd known more about the sci-fi concept of the film — the doppelgangers — because it's very intriguing. Unfortunately, Brandon Cronenberg's screenplay gets messier as the story goes by, and the plot gets tedious by the second part. Some thoughts are very in-your-face, and the graphic images are there only for shock value most of the time. But hey, at least the trippy sequences are cool; they reminded me of the Panos Cosmatos 'Cabinet of Curiosities' episode.

Also, the upper-class critique theme is oversaturated by now. We've had no shortage of these films or series in the last couple of years, and lots of them have been notably superficial. 'Infinity Pool' offers a no conventional take on the subject — although the representation of the locals as bloodthirsty individuals in rags is up to debate — but it gets underdeveloped when the writer/director starts to follow another thread, which is another problem the movie has; many ideas feel undercooked. Either way, I hope Cronenberg continues to explore the darkest and sickest corners of the human condition, but more in a 'Possessor' kind of way.