Crimes of the Future

We've seen many films that have surrounded us with the premise of 'in the near or distant future', and what we receive is typically a dark inside look at what the future will bring. Maybe it's to teach us a lesson of how we can live today so as to have a brighter future--not sure. But, suffice it to say, this is the way they're portrayed, and this is how "Crimes of the Future" is laid out.

As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner Caprice (Lea Seydoux), Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), celebrity performance artist, publicity showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed through Lang Dotrice (Scott Speedman)... Their mission--to use Saul's notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution. 

Others to round out the cast are Don McKellar as Wippet, Welket Bungue as Detective Cope, Tanaya Beatty as Berst, Nadia Latz as Router and Denise Capezza as Odile. 

This was directed with the precision one would expect from veteran, David Cronenberg ("Crimes of the Future" '70, "Shivers" '75, "Rabid" '77, "Fast Company" '79, "Scanners" '81, "Videodrome" '83, "The Fly" '86, "Dead Ringers" '88, "M. Butterfly" '93, "Crash" '96, "Spider" '02, "A History of Violence" '05, "Eastern Promises" '07, "Cosmopolis" '12) plus others, TV, TV movies and shorts. Although Cronenberg's directing is typically riveting, his expertise in this film lacked to a degree. The performances seemed a bit stiff and forced, even though having fine actors like Mortensen and Stewart. It wasn't awful directing, just a bit stiff in some places. It was also written by Cronenberg (see above resume, except "Spider", "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises"). This is where the brunt of the issues with this film lies. First of all, this premise, although had promise, simply put the 'B' in bizarre. What started as a somewhat interesting story basically ended up being about a society whereas people evolved enjoying sex through certain surgical procedures including blood-letting. Certain people were inadvertently growing unnatural body parts, and in attempting to rid of them, the procedure was performed in front of people and certain people were finding the act exhilarating. How the different parts were able to be created in the first place, the story ultimately explains--be patient. Secondly, the script does have a tendency to meander and seems a bit disjointed. This really surprised me considering Cronenberg is quite the veteran whether in the writing or directing realm. Bad day at the laptop-- not sure, but suffice it to say, this was very tough to sit through. Was it a total wash. No, both Mortensen and Stewart gave their, as usual, riveting performances--ones' most people come to expect. This wasn't the first film collaboration between Cronenberg and Mortensen--the others being "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises", but with that, I guess I expected more. Usually Cronenberg's work is odd, but usually executed well, and with that, if you like his work, his "Shrouds"is in pre production. 

In closing, this certainly is not for the mass audience appeal, as with most other Cronenberg vehicles, but if you're into totally bizarre, weird stories from independent companies, you'll like this. The gratuitousness with this--name the category, was simply incredible. It almost appeared as though Cronenberg was attempting to create a premise that was purposely as gratuitous as he could. Not sure, but if you're curious about this, it would certainly be cheaper to Netflix or rent this when available. 

Out of 4 Stars: 1                                     Rated: R                                                 98mins.