Home buying goes to hell in Vivarium, the latest from director Lorcan Finnegan.
This major life step often puts people on edge, but it’s rare for someone to lose their mind over it. That’s possibly what happens to Tom and Gemma, who are shown a house in an eerie neighborhood only to find themselves unable to leave. Home after home is the same and the maze of streets seemingly endless. Finally, a task is posed, one that would trap them for a long time but does eventually provide an out. Are they willing to commit or will they wander forever?
It’s another bizarre story for Finnegan, whose previous feature, Without Name, also had an otherworldly bent. Pulling this off will be as treacherous as walking a high wire, so it’s comforting that he has experience with similarly difficult material.
The audacity of such strangeness is likely what attracted Vivarium’s two stars, Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots. It looks like significant portions of the movie will be them and them alone, so it’s good to see these key parts filled out by reliable performers.
There’s still a lot of question marks here, but at the very least this isn’t going to be something you’ve seen a hundred times. In today’s world of remakes, reboots, and franchises, that’s something to look forward to.
Vivarium is directed by Lorcan Finnegan and stars Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots. It will be released in the UK on March 27th, 2020. For international release dates, click here.
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