123. Vivarium; movie review

VIVARIUM
Cert 15
98 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, threat

Oh, this reminds me of Roald Dahl's Tales Of The Unexpected which used to haunt us from our TV screens in the 1970s.
There is no gore and scarcely more than a drop of blood during Lorcan Finnegan's Vivarium and yet it preys on the disturbed mind.
Finnegan has upped his game since we last encountered him in the slow-burn Without Name.
Here, he serves up his main ingredients early on as his central characters, Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) go house hunting.
They are persuaded by a quirky estate agent to view a house on new development.
When they arrive they see that every house looks the same and none are inhabited but after they decide that the property is not for them, their guide disappears and they find themselves trapped.
How would they react to being throw together for an indeterminate time and being cut off from the rest of the world? (I am beginning to know how they feel as Mrs W and I experience lockdown during the Coronavirus crisis!)
And what is the motivation for keeping them here? Are they the subjects of a social experiment or a crazed kidnapper?
I have long admired Poots' work and she gives a really compelling performance here as her character's emotions are thrown into turmoil.
Meanwhile, this is much more of a physical role than we expect from Eisenberg whose quick-fire delivery is his hallmark.
He is good but maybe I would be more convinced if he went for a varied look or even tried a different accent.
Young Senan Jennings offers the creepiest element as a young boy who is thrust upon the couple and is another threat to their equilibrium.
Their efforts contribute to an unsettling but memorable hour and half which I am still thinking about days later.
As indicated, this may be down to our circumstances - because the Coronavirus lockdown has caused us to face Groundhog Day and being stuck in our home for weeks on end.
Thus, Vivarium has been released at an opportune time, albeit on demand rather than in cinemas.

Reasons to watch: Unsettling psychological thriller
Reasons to avoid: Deliberately repetitive

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? A vivarium (Latin, literally for "place of life") is an area, usually enclosed, for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. Often, a portion of the ecosystem for a particular species is simulated on a smaller scale, with controls for environmental conditions.

The final word. Imogen Poots: "It’s a hardcore genre, but it’s spooky and I think it certainly has the ability to kind of connect with any hardship or absurdity humans find themselves in, especially right now with the claustrophobia of it ringing very true.” Comingsoon.net

Share this post