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Vivarium 2019 ★★★★
Vivarium is an odd little offering.
The civilised world should be close and yet, you are somehow completely isolated. And there is no way out.
Granted, you also need some suspension of disbelief to get past all your questions concerning things like building permits, missing persons reports (especially with both main characters working for a school and so on).
We follow Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) as a young couple looking to buy a house. Imogen Poots delivers a solid and layered performance and Eisenberg brings what is probably his most likable character since Zombieland. Sidenote: Why a guy who is regularly cast as an annoying little pipsqueak is now a gardener all of a sudden is an... interesting choice. But anyway. Moving on.
The way they get lured by the creeper real estate guy had a tone that reminded me of Speak No Evil, with harm coming to people too polite to say “thanks, but no thanks”. Also, get a load of this real estate guy. Something tells he was raised by a Nic Cage character. Also, I'd rather buy a house from Terry O'Quinn's character in The Stepfather than from this guy.
I was immersed in the atmosphere. Their attempts to escape, the confrontation with their adopted artificial/alien son, their disturbed relationship with the “child”, Tom's digging a hole,... and the ending. Which I will not spoil, but suffice it to say that it will inspire very little fist pumping or bumping.
Vivarium. For an off the chain movie night.
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