There have been a few strange, intoxicating sci-fi movies to come out in the last few years (ANNIHILATION, EX MACHINA), and HIGH LIFE seems to be in a class all of its own. The first bizarre, sexy trailer for the new outer space thriller from French filmmaker Claire Denis finds stars Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Andre Benjamin and Mia Goth teases a strange story about sex and the meaning of life, and which means prepare for one trippy-ass space movie.
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HIGH LIFE centers on a crew of convicts who are sent to investigate a black hole, but it turns out they're actually the subjects of sexual experiments at the hands of Binoche. The movie made its debut at TIFF last year where it was praised by critics for its visuals and complex story, but it won’t be hitting theaters until April 12. It looks like a movie viewers won't quite be prepared for, using heavily dramatic themes, hyper-sexual approach and gorgeous visuals to tell a profound story about the meaning of life itself. So yeah, it’s not exactly STAR WARS.
I myself don't quite know what to expect from the movie. One hand it looks a visually arresting meditation on the nature of existence — which is cool, I guess. On the other, it looks like something that may be too odd to fully become invested in, alienating itself from its grander ideas with all the other peculiarness. Still, it looks like a can't-miss indie of the year, so I will indeed be watching.
Here’s the synopsis:
Monte (Robert Pattinson) and his baby daughter are the last survivors of a damned and dangerous mission to deep space. The crew—death-row inmates led by a doctor (Juliette Binoche) with sinister motives—has vanished. As the mystery of what happened onboard the ship is unraveled, father and daughter must rely on each other to survive as they hurtle toward the oblivion of a black hole.
HIGH LIFE hits theaters April 12.