HIGH LIFE Trailer

Claire Denis takes to space in High Life, a marked change for the usually grounded director.

This trailer is more about building mystery than explaining the plot, but some clues are dropped. Robert Pattinson, Meah Goth, and most of the crew of the space ship are part of a study led by Juliette Binoche, one that has something to do with reproduction. But why did they need to go to space for a reproduction study? And why is there a child already running around? And what is Binoche doing getting in on the action (that’s just bad science)!?

This is being pitched as some sort of psychological thriller, which should trigger skepticism from anyone familiar with Denis’ work. She makes very languid films, ones that stew on an idea versus building to some big payoff. Zama took its time breaking down its futile colonizer, Beau Travail relished in desire, and 35 Shots of Rum, one of her more traditional narratives, still barely nudged its characters forward. Anything close to the tone being presented in this trailer seems unlikely, but I suppose she could surprise us.

Denis’ name is incredibly well respected even if it doesn’t pull in huge audiences, which is why she got a hell of a cast for her first English-language film. Pattinson and Binoche alone should get the arthouse crowd into seats, and the rest of the familiar faces only make it more tantalizing. I imagine there is a need to sell tickets for this since space films are generally more expensive than character studies, but then again, I’m not convinced this isn’t a character study in space.

Either way, this mysterious first trailer does have me intrigued.

High Life is directed by Claire Denis and stars Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, and André Benjamin. It will be released in the US on April 12th, 2019. For international release dates, click here.

Do you think this will be as thrilling as the trailer implies or something more subdued? Let us know in the comments!