Infinity Pool
2023 · Canada, Hungary, France · 117 min
- Director
- Brandon Cronenberg
- Screenplay
- Brandon Cronenberg
- Producer
- Andrew Cividino, Christina Piovesan, Anita Juka
- Music
- Tim Hecker
- Cinematography
- Karim Hussain
- Production company
- Eurimages, Telefilm Canada, Celluloid Dreams
Cast
What it is about
Novelist James Foster and his wife Em spend a vacation at a resort in the fictional seaside country of Li Tolqa, where a local festival is taking place. Their strained marriage comes under further pressure when they meet Gabi, an admirer of James's only published novel, and her husband Alban. After dinner and a day trip into the countryside, despite warnings to stay on the resort grounds, an accident changes the course of their stay. The country's justice system, in which the guilty can pay to have a copy made and executed in their place, forces James to confront who he is and how far he is willing to go. The film examines guilt, privilege and the loss of identity in an increasingly oppressive setting.
How it was made
Brandon Cronenberg wrote the original screenplay, drawing on personal experiences of unsatisfying vacations and a science fiction story about clones he had been developing. By 2019 an international co-production between Canada, Hungary and France was in place, but the project was delayed until 2021. Alexander Skarsgård leads the cast, alongside Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalil Lespert and Thomas Kretschmann. Principal photography lasted five weeks from September 6, 2021, at the Amadria Park resort in Šibenik, Croatia, before the production moved to Hungary. Post-production took place in Canada in the second half of 2022. Tim Hecker composed the music and Karim Hussain shot the film, and the result relies on a carefully controlled look and an unsettling atmosphere.
Reception and legacy
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023 and was released in Canadian cinemas on January 27 that year by Elevation Pictures. It received generally positive reviews, with praise for its atmosphere and Cronenberg's direction, and particular acclaim for Mia Goth's performance. In the United States, an initial cut received an NC-17 rating; after Neon's appeal and several re-edits, it obtained an R. The film also had its European premiere in the Berlinale Special section of the Berlin International Film Festival. It extends the bodily unease and interest in identity that have long defined the work of the Cronenberg family.
Stills
Trailer
Clicking loads the video from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode). Open on YouTube
Trivia
Filming in two countries
Principal photography took place at a resort in Šibenik, Croatia, and after twelve days of shooting the production moved to Hungary to finish.
Trouble with the rating
An initial cut received an NC-17 rating in the United States. After an appeal and several re-edits, the film finally obtained an R.
More films by Brandon Cronenberg
Possessor
AntiviralOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.