By Chris Kriofske
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Claire Denis
Starring: Agata Buzek | André Benjamin | Juliette Binoche | Lars Eidinger | Mia Goth | Robert Pattinson
Country: france, germany, poland, united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2019
Running time: 113
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4827558/reference
Chris says: “Rest assured, Claire Denis’ first English-language feature is no sellout or concession to a more commercial cinema; on the contrary, it’s possibly her most enigmatic effort since THE INTRUDER. It centers on Monte (Robert Pattinson, further distancing himself from the TWILIGHT series), whom we first see alone on a spaceship with only his baby daughter. A series of flashbacks follow, involving a now-deceased crew led by a mysterious, nefarious figure, the somewhat silly-named Dr. Dibs (a predictably good Juliet Binoche, the lead of Denis’ last film LET THE SUNSHINE IN.)
“It’s in this midsection where Denis loses me a bit–not that I’m in any way looking for complete narrative cohesion in her films, but here there’s a messiness that feels more meandering than momentous. An often sexual violence that’s difficult to watch doesn’t help matters, either. However, HIGH LIFE nearly redeems itself in it s last act, which pushes forward in time, bringing the meditative, exploratory opening full circle. Challenging, choppy and obtuse, it’s also just as often darkly beautiful and powerful–in other words, another Denis film. 3.5 cats“
Michael says: “How does one begin to review a film by Claire Denis? I guess we should start with the facts. HIGH LIFE is Desni’s English-language debut, and it also happens to be a science fiction film. It stars Robert Pattison (of TWILIGHT fame) and the ubiquitous, but always intriguing Juliette Binoche. A crew of convicts and death row inmates are tricked into serving science by stepping up for a mission that they’re not really sure is all about. It seems that they are one an years-long journey to rendezvous with a black hole to study new kinds of energy. When the film opens, the only residents on the ship are Monte (Pattison) and a toddler named Willow. I was please to see Denis eschewing the straight-forward narrative that she adopted for her last film, LET THE SUNSHINE IN, to harken back to her more convoluted story-telling milieu. As the story unfolds, we meet the rest of the crew — first as corpses to be disposed of to conserve energy on the ship, then in flashbacks as we see the perverse and deadly story unfold. Although there is a titular Captain, the real controlling force is Dibs (Binoche) a doctor studying reproduction, with an aim to impregnate one of the inmates and bring a baby to term. She’s not having all that much success, as most of the pregnancies end in death due to radiation, both to the fetus and the mother. But Dibs, as we find out later, is also a criminal with a disturbing past, and she doesn’t give up.
“Another element that is pervasive throughout the story is the isolation and sexual frustration and/or release that the inmates suffer. The latter is meant to be addressed by a special room, called “The Box,” which Dibs rather graphically demonstrates for the viewer. It’s this scene where the viewer might first start to wonder at Dibs’ state of mind. Or maybe she just enjoys sex! Throughout, as the inmates begin to unravel in various ways, Monte proves to be the emotional core of the film, and it’s probably a good thing, because when the dust clears, it’s just him and Dib’s one success story, the infant Willow, that are left standing. The film concludes with Willow now a teenager, and her father, facing their final challenge — one that is an intriguing mixture of both hope and desolation. The credits roll before we find out just exactly what the pairs’ future is, but their bond and their dogged survival manage to end the film on a higher note.
“As is often the case, Denis’ latest film is somewhat impenetrable, although it has enough narrative to follow the plot. What Denis is trying to get across is a little harder to ascertain. The production values are interesting, not the gleaming, science fiction spaceships of Star Trek, but more like a dirty, labyrinth of basement hallways and claustrophobic rooms that somehow manage to propel this not-so-merry band through space. The physical world is reduced to waste and recycling in this microcosmic system, and everything about the ship, except for their lush, vegetable garden, looks like just the kind of space i wouldn’t want ob stuck in for any number of days, much less years. The acting is strong; Binoche always delivers, and her Dibs is unsettling and tragic at the same time. The biggest revelation for me was Pattinson, who turns in a solid and empathetic performance as the stabilizing Monte. And as usual, Claire Denis delivers as a writer/director that challenges, alienates, provokes, and entertains. 4.5 cats“
High Life