#while he was undergoing some profoundly traumatizing experiences that seemed fun in the moment and became horrible at the very end

[frankenhorror]

Last night I watched Infinity Pool on Soap2day and there's three flashy multicolored sequences that go on for too long, you actually almost start to get bored after the initial reveal of what's happening in those flashy sequences. Possessor has - imo - just the right amount of hallucinogenic flashy shit, while Infinity Pool has too much. Sorry, younger Cronenberg, but you overdid it on that.

Intellectual shit + minor spoilers under the cut:

Other than that nitpick..... it's commentary on how rich people can get away with all sorts of fucked up shit, among other things - and there are other themes, the rich people thing is just the most obvious. Wealth corrupts when a corrupt system is willing to let illegality slide if you're able to pay them for it - making you watch your own clone be executed is fucked up, but you get to live while being meant to learn from the experience. The rich people, however, just thought it was entertainment. Those who come from middling means - like James Foster - can become corrupted by that permissive glamour of wealth, the ability to court danger and commit illegal acts like it's nothing due to a guaranteed financial safety net, and damage themselves as a result.

The one who was bankrolling everything, his SO, had her head on straight - she saw the horror of it all and left. He was taken in by what her wealth could give him to an unhealthy extent, and he stayed. He lied to her about the missing passport, he knew exactly where it was.

Also, we in the lower classes have no idea what kind of twisted stuff the 1% could be opportunistically getting up to because money can both pay for and cover up the worst of humanity. The island government took care of everything, nobody had to lift a single finger. They didn't even have to cremate their dead clones, the whole process of watching the execution was just intense theater to them while the actual islanders took it seriously. There's such significant exploitation once the movie really gets rolling, both financial and interpersonal - and the interpersonal is a whole other can of worms that's tied to the financial aspect. So with that in mind, I did manage to enjoy the movie and I will be watching it again because I'm interested in parsing out additional meaning.

#infinity pool #brandon cronenberg #commentary #SPOILERS STOP READING THESE TAGS NOW #the poor writer marrying the VERY rich girl and getting corrupted by what her wealth can give him.... #at the urgings of rich elites who have been so corrupted by their money that they see no issue..... #with using him as a toy and pretending to like him just for their own entertainment #the dog clone really drives home exactly what they think of him it's so fucking disturbing #he enjoyed watching OTHERS kill his clones - total copies of himself - for some psychological reasons #but then the rich people made him kill the 'dog' - a version of himself subservient to them #and he had to watch them all leaving the resort acting as if nothing had happened #it was just a game to them the entire time #while he was undergoing some profoundly traumatizing experiences that seemed fun in the moment and became horrible at the very end #IT'S FUCKED UUUPPPP