Vivarium
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, Senan Jennings, Jonathan Aris, Eanna Hardwicke
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) are looking to take that next step and get a house together. They are told by creepy realtor Martin (Jonathan Aris), that he has found what they are looking for at Yonder. Yonder is a labyrinthine housing community with the motto “Quality family homes. Forever.” and featuring suburban houses that all look the same. Martin shows them their ideal home, #9, which comes fully furnished including a baby room which has already been painted blue for a boy. During their tour, Martin suddenly vanishes and Gemma and Tom use the opportunity to leave. However, they are unable to because they get lost and no matter which way they go or how long they drive they always end up back at #9. Their car eventually runs out of gas, forcing them to stay. The next morning, they try to escape again, following the sun with no success. When they end up back at #9 there is a mysterious package filled with food and other essentials, which Tom uses to set the house on fire to send a smoke signal. When the smoke settles, #9 is still standing with another package containing a baby boy and the instructions "Raise the child and be released". With no escape in sight they settle in to #9 with the baby, which very quickly becomes a young boy (Senan Jennings). Will the couple escape this nightmare, embodied by a demanding and attention seeking boy, or ultimately be driven crazy by it.
This is another film that works well viewing while under quarantine. The isolation and withering mental state of Tom and Gemma is very relatable. Whether this gives the film more impact than it would under normal circumstances is hard to say. What I can say, is this low budget sci fi thriller feels like an episode of The Twilight Zone. It comes complete with a unique visual style that helps add to the tense story as it unfolds. The fake cloudy skyline only becomes more and more unsettling the longer the movie goes on.
Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg have fantastic chemistry, as was proven in last year's The Art of Self Defense, and their performances are fantastic. In the beginning they are a very believable married couple and as the film goes on they both sell the relationship falling apart. Poots’ Gemma in particular is believably torn between trying to balance helping her and Tom escape and save their relationship and trying to understand and engage with the weird boy that is living in their house and tearing them apart. Jesse Eisenberg believably sells Tom's deteriorating mental and physical state while also being able to sell a quiet speech he gives towards the end of the film about the first time he and Gemma met.
Senan Jennings can join the movie pantheon of creepy movie children, thanks to his genuinely creepy performance. When he doesn’t get what he wants, he lets out a bloodcurdling and otherworldly scream. When he talks, it’s in a weird dubbed over adult voice, and he is usually mimicking Tom or Gemma arguing. It also always seems to be observing them at every turn, seeing how they act and react. It’s unsettling and gives the film a good undercurrent of suspense any time he is around because you never know what he’s going to do.
Even at a breezy 90 minutes, I do think the film ran a little long. This is unfortunate because in the final few minutes the curtain is pulled up to reveal what is happening and it speeds through it faster than I would have liked. The script stretches the premise out a little more than needed and when it finally provides answers it has to speed through it, although in an admittedly well shot and bizarre sequence. I enjoyed the lack of a monologuing villain, but it would have been nice to spend a little more time understanding what had been going on.
Grade: B+
Vivarium is available on iTunes VOD