Cronenberg: Infinity Pool not “dramatically different” after NC-17 rating cuts

Brandon Cronenberg’s latest, Infinity Pool, has garnered a lot of attention over the past few months. Even prior to Infinity Pool making its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the focus was on its NC-17 rating. Now that it has been edited into an R, fans may worry it has been sanitized by the MPA. But Cronenberg is assuring everyone that there isn’t that much of a difference between the two versions, even supervising the cuts himself.

Brandon Cronenberg recently commented on the R rating versus the NC-17 rating of Infinity Pool, saying, “I wouldn’t say we shot a lot of stuff that isn’t in it. A surprising amount of stuff got through, to be honest. It’s not a fundamentally different film. There are a few changes. There’s a few interesting shots that are in the R version that are not in the unrated version. I wouldn’t say it’s as dramatically different as you might expect. I supervised both cuts.”

He added, “I’m actually lucky to be able to start with the version of the film that I want to make without considering those things, to have a director’s cut. If I need to make a few tweaks for the release, then it is what it is…You make the film you want to make…I want it to get the best release possible. You have to be pragmatic about it when you’re in film because there are so many weird forces shaping what you’re doing.”

Infinity Pool originally received its NC-17 rating due to “some graphic violence and sexual content.” After an appeal, the rating was upheld. The R-rated cut is the one in theaters, while the NC-17 version is the one that was seen at Sundance. It’s that cut that our own Chris Bumbray gave it an 8/10, saying, “For those who like to push the limits regarding this kind of thing, Cronenberg delivered a future midnight movie classic.” He also noted the rating change, writing, “Hopefully, the R-rated cut will only lessen the film’s impact a little because even though it’s going out censored.”

Of note, the father of Brandon Cronenberg, David, received an NC-17 rating for his controversial Palme d’Or-nominated Crash.

Are you looking forward to Infinity Pool regardless of its rating? Will you try to watch both the NC-17 cut and the R-rated version? Let us know in the comments section below.