Infinity Pool * * * *

All too often the children of great actors, directors musicians etc decide they can do the same as Mum or Dad.  Not many can, and some have to learn the hard way by publicly embarrassing themselves.  

Fortunately the son of David Cronenberg is one that can, and is now showing the same creativity and talent as Pops.

Infinity Pool is Brandan Cronenberg  latest film and it's his best.  It's a story that pushes the boundaries of belief and credibility, but hey, that's good horror for you. 

It's set in a resort on a paradise island. The guests need to be at a resort because on the other side of the fence things can be a bit hairy with weird locals, strange customs, dodgy cops and a general feeling of contempt for the rich westerners and their wealth. Nevertheless some guests do venture out the gates to enjoy the spectacular scenery and beaches.

On one such outing two couples with a newly developed friendship borrow a car and go on a picnic.  They all drink too much.  Gabi (Mia Goth), one of the  girls in the foursome makes some shockingly bold advances on the male of the other couple, James (Alexendar Skarsgard).

On the way  back to the resort they  have a traffic accident and kill a local man.  This country being what it is, they decide to just shoot through and leave the victim on the road rather than face the hostile locals. 

The police come to the resort in the morning and arrest James who was the driver. Without trial he is told that his guilt is obvious and his punishment will be duly arranged.  He is to be tied to a post and stabbed to death by the son of the man who he killed.  Gulp!

A different kind of Holiday Romance 

But, here on this weird island, through sorcery and science they have developed an ability to clone a person. So the chief of police suggests that for the right amount of money they will do that for James and then James's clone can be killed, justice will be served, and all will be back to normal. Obviously he takes the deal.

Watching himself being stabbed to death has quite an effect on James.  For him, it's kind of thrilling. It has the opposite effect on his wife; she just wants to get the hell out of this place!

Gabi and her husband know a few other people staying at the resort and we are soon to learn that they are all aware of the cloning "Get Out Of Jail Free" card.  Indeed, for them, the best of the holiday is to create murder and mayhem and then buy their way out of it.  What fun! 

Attracted to both the considerable sexual allure of Gabi, and a spree of crime and immorality without consequence, James pretends to lose his passport so he can hang around whilst his wife goes home. He's a one book novelist who can't get it together to write his second one. Perhaps this will give him the inspiration?  

Or perhaps he will learn that Gabi and her friends have other ideas for James? 
Let's get this horror show on the road!

This is a beautifully acted and filmed work. The location and the props of hideous ritual masks, toga's and open top vintage American cars all come together to make it's own weird world.  The script is tight. The suspense, shocks, edginess and humor are all there.  It's intelligent horror.  It works on just about every level.  

There were a couple of scenes and situations that uncannily reminded me of other films that I have recently seen, namely, Sundown and The Forgiven,: but to be fair, given the time it takes to develop a film it's a certainty that Cronenberg's film would have been written and well underway before they came out.