Lorcan Finnegan's second feature film is, like his debut, also of a supernatural nature. I say that because I read that "Without Name", his debut, dealt with the supernatural. I never saw it. Based on my viewing of "Vivarium", "Without Name" might be worth seeing.
We first meet Gemma (Imogen Poots) and her boyfriend Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) standing outside by a tree. After a few minutes of patter, they enter a real estate business where the displays of every house for sale are identical and Martin (Jonathan Aris), the salesman, looks like he's at least a tad off. Despite this, he convinces the couple to take a look at the properties for sale. He drives his car and they follow in theirs.
We then see the two vehicles entering a housing development and a large billboard announces it as "Yonder". After passing a couple of identical looking streets, they stop in a front of a house numbered 9.
Martin gives the young couple a tour of the premises and they like it a bit more than they thought they would. Gemma and Tom go out the back door and check out the yard. Upon their return, they look for Martin, but can't find him. They go out the front door and discover that Martin's car is no longer there. It's odd but no need for concern. They shrug it off and drive away.
Gemma drives but can't seem to find the way out of the development and keeps ending up back in front of the same house they just viewed Tom tells her to let him drive and he takes over, with the same results, until it gets dark. They give up, spend the night in the house so that they can try again when it's light. You can see where this might be headed.
The couple can't figure out how to get out of the development and no one else is there. However, a box of food and provisions mysteriously appears in front of the house and they take it in. By now they are really getting edgy. The next day, another box appears. This one has a baby boy in it. Then, things get really crazy.
"Vivarium" has a real creepiness to it and you never really know what it's all about until late in the film. Aside from a 10-minute scene that oddly reminded me of "Love Story", which is definitely not a good thing, I very much enjoyed it. It was a pleasant change of pace to be frightened by something other than real life in March of 2020. If you, too, would also like to switch fears for a little while, make sure to catch this one.
| Movie title | Vivarium |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2019 |
| MPAA Rating | R |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | This creepy sci-fi flick is a fun and uneasy watch. |
