directed by Brandon Cronenberg

If you’ve seen at least one film by David Cronenberg, I bet your cinephile’s life is no longer the same. I’m not sure what to think about this director as most of his films make me question the meaning of life in a rather negative way, yet there are some that I could say I “enjoyed”. But am I a big fan? Nah. However, today’s production is actually made by David’s son – Brandon Cronenberg. And perhaps I’ll say something controversial here, but I do believe the younger generation has more potential to present. Still, if you think that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree… you’re right, because Brandon seems to be following a very similar path to his father’s – just with a better equipment and idea where he’s going, if you know what I mean. In this film we meet Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough), an assassin who works in an unusual way. Instead of killing her targets herself, she possesses other people’s bodies and kills as them. All that is possible thanks to fancy brain implants and advanced technology, which we all know from sci-fi productions. After finishing her job, she has to commit suicide as the person she’s possessing and this way she may return to her own body. Easy? Well, judge yourselves. Except work, Tasya is a wife and mother, which becomes more and more difficult to manage. Since she constantly has to possess other people, she starts questioning her own self and who she actually is as a person. Detaching from her family would make things easier, but the woman doesn’t want to lose the loved ones. One day, Tasya gets another mission and a new person to possess. Even though she knows what to do, not everything goes as planned… but that’s for you to see yourselves. I have to say that Brandon Cronenberg way of writing screenplays speaks to me way better than his father’s concepts. I seriously enjoyed going into this film’s world and I felt like I was taken care of as a viewer – that I’d not get lost in the story at some point. This film is strange, but you shouldn’t expect anything else coming from men with that surname – and it’s a compliment, because we need some strangeness in cinema. However, it also makes you reflect on the topic of relations, at least that’s what it did to me. What if someone started possessing us – would we even notice? Or maybe that would be easier for some of us? And if so, how would we feel being surrounded by people, some of whom could be possessed by someone else and we would no longer know who we’re dealing with. Welcome to my mind, dear reader, that’s what happens when I get a sci-fi film. I personally love when filmmakers play with this topic of personal detachment and mind control, because it’s something that may be our reality in the future, who knows? And nothing scares me more than probable scenarios of the future. Give me a man with an axe chopping a group of people in a basement? Yawn. Give me a film about an advanced technology letting us possess each other? Ayuda, my brain is on fire! This film would need a bit of polishing to be more outstanding in its form, but I’m still satisfied. I’m looking forward to more questionable productions from the Cronenberg family!
My rating: 6.5/10
S.








