High Life | Robert Pattinson & Juliette Binoche | A24

[Blitzkrieg]

A24 Lands Claire Denis’ English-Language Debut ‘High Life’ With Robert Pattinson & Juliette Binoche – Toronto

A24 has acquired North American distribution rights to the provocative sci-fi drama High Life, which made its Toronto Film Festival debut Sunday night at Roy Thomson Hall. The film marks French filmmaker Claire Denis’ long-anticipated English-language debut, and stars Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Mia Goth and André Benjamin. Script was written by Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau and Geoff Cox. Deal was low seven figures, and A24 will go with a traditional theatrical release.

The Beau Travail director this time has tackled a Kubrick-ian science fiction tale set in deep space, where a group of criminals head toward a black hole. The spaceship’s crew is a collection of dangerous prisoners. Monte (Pattinson) is the only crew member awake as the voyage unfolds in solitude, tending to the ship to keep them all alive as they hurtle through space. And also caring for a baby daughter, Willow, who was born on board. As the crew awakens, conflicts and chaos ensue.

 

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[Persona]

I can't wait for this one. Claire Denis is one of our greatest living filmmakers, so automatically the idea of her doing an esoteric sci-fi film with Pattinson (and ANDRE 3000!) in it has me 100% sold, but also some of my most trusted critics have been raving about this film since seeing it. I'm all aboard.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

 

[Blitzkrieg]

 

[Persona]

YAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

[David H.]

“High”, not “Half.”

Happens to me every time.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

 

[Persona]

this looks utterly incredible. i love Denis, I love sci-fi, I love Andre 3000, so this is going to be extremely my jam.

 

[Heretic]

I'm down for this! I love out there sci-fi. Robert Pattinson has become an actor whose presence immediately makes me want to watch the film (heck...as a big Horror fan, I actually think that the Twilight/YA Horror trend was GOOD for the genre).

 

[Luigi]

Looks like another winner from A24. They've got a strong lineup this year.

 

[Persona]

Brilliant but uneven. But brilliant.

I am not sure why I was reminded of WOMAN IN THE DUNES. An out-there scenario as vivid illustration of the tightening mortal coil? I dunno.

Pattinson, Binoche, and Andre 3000 were all quite good.

The baby broke my heart. She resembles my own youngest (7 months) so much right now.

I kind of hated the narration over the first 2/3rds of the movie, reminded me of the theatrical cut of Blade Runner where everything would be so much better if Pattinson wasn't talking at me. But I loved the ending.

Every Claire Denis film is a gift. This one was a very bleak, challenging gift--and there are plenty of scenes where I'm still trying to process the "why" of them. And yet at the end, it still felt very much like a gift.

Go watch if you don't need to see ENDGAME a third time or whatever.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Can't wait for this to come out in the UK. Sounds barmy as hell but effective horror-come-sci-fi.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Trailer was seriously unnerving. Plan on watching.

 

[Heretic]

I'm torn on this one. On one hand, it's a beautiful and mostly well acted movie (even from the baby!). Pattinson is great and at this point I'm thinking that he's so good that I might actually finish watching the Twilight saga. But...nah. I really did enjoy the opening section with Pattinson and the baby.

On the other hand...once the second part kicks in, characters and motivations are kept so vague that I'm unsure of why certain things happen, aside from "the story needs to wrap up...like, right now." There's a few scenes that are terrible that are used to explain what is happening...and that stuff isn't what really needed the explanation.

I "get" what the movie was going for...and the whole arthouse examination of humanity etc...it just didn't totally work for me on that level. No one was developed enough to justify the emotions I was supposed to feel...including the very trigger-warning type scenes that played out. I mean...it's there...but so little focus was on the other characters that it didn't impact for me. In fact...given the emphasis on "taboo" and the focus on bodily fluids and other scenes/dialogue etc...I even see how one could interpret the ending in a very disgusting/disturbing way. In fact, I've yet to hear an interpretation that sounds more like what the film was actually trying to say, even though I'm sure that it wasn't.

So...a part of me really likes it, and a part of me hates it.