Thursday 14 November 2019

WatchSeeLookView At The LFF 2019 - Vivarium

Let’s get weird.

Vivarium
Dir. Lorcan Finnegan / Dur. 98 mins / Country. Ireland
Festival Strand:- Cult
In A Nutshell:- A couple get stranded at a property viewing in a nightmarish identikit neighbourhood with no way out...

The Good:- This was playing in the Cult strand (the strand from which I have unsurprisingly seen the most films) and it very much fits the bill. Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots play the house-hunting couple who find themselves trapped in a Milton-Keynes-style new build community which won't let them leave. Things then take a turn for the even stranger - it’s one of those films, though, that I think it’s best not to know too much about. It’s definitely my kind of strange. Director and writer Lorcan Finnegan has worked for Charlie Brooker’s production company and it definitely feels like it has a similar sensibility to something like Black Mirror. Of the cast, Imogen Poots is probably the standout although the two actors portraying “The Boy” also deserve a mention for their suitably “off” performances.

The Bad:- Personally, I find Jesse Eisenberg a little bit one note - he’s not one of my favourite actors. He’s fine here but I always feel like he’s playing Jesse Eisenberg as a character.

The Verdict:- Definitely a winner at the fest for me - just the sort of odd, strange little number that I like to see.

The Venue / Intro / Q&A:- Odeon Tottenham Court Road (the only one I saw at this venue this year) but no intro or Q&A for this one.







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