High Life

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Andre Benjamin, Mia Goth, Agata Buzek, Lars Eidinger, Claire Tran
Directed by: Claire Denis
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Robert Pattinson) raises his daughter in space and reflects on the events that led to their isolation.

Review:

Tim: I have to give writer/director Claire Denis credit for putting together such a different, odd, challenging movie. We've seen a bunch of space movies over the years, but nothing quite like High Life. It certainly felt like a desire here was to do something quite apart from the majority of similarly themed movies. I certainly haven't seen a movie set in space so focused on sexuality and especially fluids. This is an artistic, contemplative film. And, while I enjoyed some of the ideas Denis plays with here, I couldn't get myself to like the movie. I applaud the attempt, but the film just falls short for me.

I suppose you have to start any review by focusing on the sexuality aspect of the story. It felt very bizarre to me. The main response it elicited in me was to cringe. I understand this was all part of her vision, but the focus on fluids was a bit hard for me to handle. It plays such a prominent role in the story and often is depicted in detail. It was an unconventional approach, which is good, but it made for a somewhat unpleasant experience. That's actually a big issue I had with the film- it's so uncomfortable. I really believe it's a sign of a great movie to create some level of discomfort in the audience, but there needs to be a balance. This movie doesn't quite hit an effective balance. There's a lot of confusion because the movie jumps right in with a cold open and you have to piece together the story throughout the 1 hour, 53 minute run-time. That's a long time to be kept in the metaphorical and to some extent, literal dark. A lot of that time was spent trying to understand what was going on. Then, you add in an obvious infatuation with fluid as a means of expressing sexuality, which creates more than a few almost body-horror moments that are cringe-worthy. Then, you add in a cast of mostly unlikable people. You learn that most of them are criminals and aren't given very many reasons to care about them. We do see a baby who appears to be well taken care of, but there's always the uncertainty and discomfort surrounding that. Without knowing the story, we're left wondering and it's uncomfortable to see such an innocent in such a precarious situation. Each of these elements is interesting and thought-provoking in their own right. Denis combines them all together to create this uniquely artistic film that isn't much fun to watch. After meandering through this nightmarish scenario, we conclude with a somewhat beautiful and overly ambiguous ending. I actually love ambiguous endings, but coming at the end of an ambiguous film blunted some of its impact. It didn't have the emotional or intellectual punch it intended to have. It wasn't the wonderful climax Denis intended, it felt like just more of the same. So, while some of me enjoyed the crazy journey Denis took us on, I had to admit I liked the idea of that journey more than the experience itself. This isn't a film I would ever want to watch again.

I do have to give Robert Pattinson credit for his performance here. It was a bit uneven, but it was such a different, challenging role. He needs films like this to distance himself from Twilight. Even though I never hated those movies like others did, he's a better actor than one role as a shiny vampire suggests. This movie is a far cry from that one. Although there were a number of scenes where his performance felt forced and didn't work, I blame Denis for many of those. Pattinson did some interesting things with his performance and it was a reminder that he's quite talented. He isn't able to pull it all together effectively, but he shows the talent is there. Juliette Binoche was good in a role that's hard to like. Her character does some unthinkable things, but it's the uncertainty about her character that is hard to deal with. Binoche made me cringe a lot throughout the movie, so I guess she deserves some credit for that. It was fun seeing Andre Benjamin here, although he didn't have a whole lot to do. He was never embarrassing, though. It's obvious Denis didn't ask him to do much, however. Mia Goth was fine, as was the rest of the cast, although they all felt a bit one-dimensional.

High Life could have used a bigger budget. It's hard to do space movies without one and there are too many times where the film made decisions out of economy, rather than what was best for the story. This might hurt the movie a little, but you have to mentally allow for some of those accommodations. There were a few scenes that did look quite impressive, including the black hole finale.

I was intrigued by some of what Denis did here, although the movie as a whole never quite lived up to its potential. I know critics enjoyed the movie and I don't discount their experience. It just felt to me like there was a better path forward- one that would still retain Denis' unique artistic vision while being a bit more accessible to audiences and less trying for viewers to sit through. Still, High Life isn't a movie you will forget, so that's a good thing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Solaris, Good Time, Event Horizon, Interstellar