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Time Contributor | Fumi Minamino
Cult movie gluttony.
After the epidemic is lifted, many people will choose to "revenge travel".
In the horror film "Infinity Pool", vacation has become synonymous with "dangerous".
Director Brandon Cronenberg's father is the famous director - David Cronenberg, who loves to make movies about the elements of body fear.
Brandon, who also makes horror movies, is naturally regarded by the industry as his father's "successor".
"Infinity Pool"
Starring Nordic male "E big" Alexander Skarsgard ("Big Little Lies", "True Love Like Blood"), the new "Scream Queen" Mia Goss, telling a thriller story that "vacations are risky, travel needs to be cautious".
This R-rated film is quite large-scale, and there are many shocking explicit shots in the trailer, which became a gimmick that initially attracted the audience.
Although it has a poor reputation in mainland film fan circles, it is a rare masterpiece in the eyes of professional film critics abroad, with a freshness rating of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
What does this movie, which has been ridiculed as a thriller version of "White Lotus Resort", say?
Having money can find scapegoats
The story of "Infinity Pool" takes place in the fictional underdeveloped country "Ritoka".
Although the country is economically backward, it is known for its tourism industry, and many of the laws are friendly to foreign tourists.
There is a bizarre rule that once a foreign tourist commits a capital crime in Ritoka, he can pay a high "atonement money" to make a stand-in.
The stand-in not only looks exactly like the Lord, but also has the consciousness and memory of the Lord.
When the stand-in is publicly executed, the owner who committed the death penalty can go unpunished, unaffected.
This slightly buggy sci-fi setting has become the cornerstone of the development of the entire movie's story.
The male protagonist James came to Ritoka for vacation with his wife Em shortly after he and his wife Em got into a life lawsuit due to a car accident. Just as James was panicking at the police station, the police leisurely explained the law to him, allowing James to escape.
In a panic, Em planned to return to China immediately with James, but the latter had already been attracted by a group of powerful tourists who had also experienced the "death penalty" and became the playthings of the gang.
Since then, James's heart has completely changed in the road of crime.
The setting of "Infinity Pool" is somewhat similar to Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange".
There is a passage of a foreign dignitary tourist who robbed a local mansion due to drunken boredom, and committed the crime of humiliating the owner and shooting and killing people.
This paragraph is reminiscent of the "evil deed" committed by Alex in "Singin' in the Rain" shortly after the beginning of "A Clockwork Orange".
But the difference is that "A Clockwork Orange" reflects on the relationship between violence and society, and whether a person should be punished with greater violence after being sanctioned for violence.
"Infinity Pool" focuses on how foreign elites can do evil without restraint after the disparity between rich and poor.
Although this is a fictional story, this rent-seeking evil of power is not a fabrication.
On the one hand, the film tells the audience at the beginning of the story that the country has a high crime rate and tourists are often killed, and on the other hand, the second half of the story shows powerful tourists who are worried about human lives.
The strong contrast between the two is actually intended to point to the conflict and opposition between different cultures in the world today.
Killing "yourself" is a pleasure
Of course, the confrontation between outsiders and locals is only the background of the film. The terrifying background of "Infinity Pool" is more presented in the pleasure of killing "yourself".
In the film, the male protagonist James is a former writer, and his wife with a solid family come here for a vacation, which is called looking for inspiration, but in fact, it is just a wasted life.
Gabby, played by Mia Goss, first appeared as James's avid book fan, diligently inviting James and his wife to dinner and cookouts, but in fact he was approaching his prey and playing with it.
It was also under the seduction of Gabby that James lost himself step by step.
Specifically, this loss is the disgust and stripping of the self.
When James first saw the "stand-in" being bloodily stabbed to death in the execution ground, he did not feel fear and guilt, but the corners of his mouth rose and a smile appeared.
This thrill after killing "himself" has gone deeper and deeper in Gabi's two design arrangements since then, although each time James faces great psychological pressure.
When he finally couldn't hold on, Gabi and the others let him go and sent him home, James ended up alone in Ritoka's resort.
The film interestingly shows Gabi and others returning to normal on the way to the airport and unloading the hideous faces of murderous demons.
They discussed where to put their keys and what to do when they returned to Los Angeles, as if the horrors had never happened before.
Killing "himself" is just another form of stress release for these rich people, but for James, it has become a necessary means to destroy his incompetent part and then nirvana a more confident state.
This may be why James chose to stay in Ritoka. Instead of returning to the reality of failure, he is more addicted to a more perfect version of himself.
This expression of "stripping" one's own identity does make "Infinity Pool" seem novel and unique.
But the film obviously lacks a tighter bite in the dark setting of Ritoka's "stand-in" law and the delicate presentation of James's heart.
The film can only be filled with lengthy hallucinogenic scenes and flooded large-scale scenes, which undoubtedly causes the film's heavy concept and light expression.
The story of the overhead background itself is more difficult to substitute than real life, coupled with the shooting technique is very psychedelic, in the second half of the film, this unrestrained lens language will even make people feel physically uncomfortable.
I have to say that director Brandon is far inferior to his dad in making horror films, and David Cronenberg is in need of personal guidance.
You have to rely on the Scream Queen!
Despite the performance of Alexander Skarsgard in the film, it interprets the inner struggle and pain of a down-and-out and incompetent writer.
But I believe that the audience who has seen "Infinity Pool" is most impressed by Mia Gauss's "crazy" performance.
She presents a complex charm: such as the silly white sweet temperament she exudes when she first appears, the cold and sexy she shows during the picnic, and after James hits someone, Gabi shows a decisive personality to kill, and after the true purpose is exposed, she has no scruples of madness, killing and playing.
These rich and distinct characters, under the performance of Mia Gauss, have no trace and change freely, making us feel a chill at the end.
Indeed, for the Canadian/Brazilian hybrid, getting a role in a horror thriller is a no-brainer.
Mia Goss had a wandering, homeless childhood and, according to her words, learned the art and essence of camouflage very early.
After Mia entered the entertainment industry, her first important role was "P" in "Female Addict", working with actors with top acting skills such as William Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Although Mia never received professional training, she had a sense of faith in acting very early.
Subsequently, after the experience of horror films such as "Life-saving Antidote" and "Yin Wind Gust", Mia's performance layers became richer day by day.
But what really earned her the title of "Queen of Screams" was "X" and "Pearl" directed by Ti West last year.
In the retro horror film "X", Mia plays two roles, she is both the young and sexy actress Maxine and the old and murderous old woman Pearl.
This sense of contrast made the limited film "X" and made Mia Gauss's name well-known.
Less than half a year later, after the release of "X"'s prequel "Pearl", Mia played the young Pearl, in a not complicated, even more monotonous plot, interpreting a murderous maniac who was bound by his original family and then psychologically distorted.
The resentment in the boudoir and the sexual desire that cannot be relieved weave a female murderer character who is enough to leave a name in film history.
Especially Mia's nearly ten-minute monologue scene, revealing a girl's inner tastes after killing her father and mother.
Mia Goss is not a beauty in the standard sense, and even at some moments, her exaggerated expression is a little stupid and ugly, and the bulge and roundness of the tip of her nose add a fairytale coquettishness.
But the eyebrows that are so pale that they can hardly be seen, and the pair of alienated and indifferent eyes under the eyelids, tell you clearly: she is not only difficult to mess with, but also extremely aggressive.
Therefore, you will be easily deceived by Mia's character, and you will also be led by her seemingly harmless human and animal to an unmanageable tragedy.
This is a unique and vivid and unforgettable heroine face of a horror movie. If it weren't for the limited genre, she would definitely be nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress.
Of course, I believe that Mia's subsequent works will definitely surpass the masterpieces of "Pearl", but we need to be patient.