20/100

”Creation of art is often associated with pain.”

I can definitely see that anyone who is unfamiliar with the style and substance that most of David Cronenberg’s films have - specifically his horror films - watching this as their first film from him can be a little misunderstanding of it all. However, given that I’ve seen nearly every horror film that he’s done and loved a few of them I really thought this was going to be such a great film; even after hearing all the praise from my fellow letterboxd friends loving it a lot. I think ultimately what it comes down to is just how much I found myself not invested in this at all.

Unlike most of his other films that grasp you with their uncertainty and that’s what reels you in for the entire runtime, Crimes of the Future finds itself presenting a lot of new and interesting ideas - then keeping them at the very surface level. I get exactly what Cronenberg is trying to do/say here about the evolution of sex and body and I think at its most basic level this results in creating interest, but all these ideas just seem to fall flat with each other. Nothing feels unified in what it’s saying. As much as a great performance Léa Seydoux gives here, I really can’t say I ever want to revisit this again. Maybe I’m missing this huge central piece and who knows I could change my mind if I have too, but honestly Cronenberg has done this type of stuff way better in some of his other films.

2022 Ranked
Hooptober 9: 6/31
David Cronenberg Ranked
Sci-Fi/Horror Films Ranked