Crimes Of The Future (2022) – Film Review

Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart
Certificate: 18

By Sarah Morgan

Performance art, science fiction and gut-wrenching body horror combine in David Cronenberg’s most recent directorial offering.

The Canadian auteur began his career making similarly themed films; in the 1970s, the likes of Shivers, Rabid and The Brood sealed his reputation for making audiences squirm. He didn’t let up during the 1980s either, with Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly and Dead Ringers twisting the knife even further.

Cronenberg continued this vomit-inducing trend through the 1990s too, but then suddenly stopped. The 21st century saw him shift to making more cerebral thrillers that didn’t rely on special effects. I’m a huge fan of the more mainstream Eastern Promises, A History of Violence and Maps to the Stars. But, for Cronenberg, it seems that old habits die hard, so he returned to his old stomping ground for Crimes of the Future – perhaps he was inspired by his son Brandon’s acclaimed chiller Possessor, which covered similar themes as his father’s early films and proved he was a chip off the old block.

“Offbeat”

Here, Cronenberg Sr reunites with Viggo Mortensen; this is their fourth and most offbeat collaboration. The story takes place in an unspecified future time in which it’s normal for machines and computers to directly control human bodily functions. What’s more, humans have evolved so that they no longer experience pain or suffer from infectious disease.

Mortensen plays Saul Tenser, an artist working alongside his partner Caprice (Lea Seydoux). They are world-famous due to Tenser’s ability to grow new organs, which Caprice surgically removes in front of paying audiences.

“Thought-provoking moments”

Into their world comes Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, who becomes obsessed with Tenser. Meanwhile, a shady group plan to use his body to reveal the next stage in the evolutionary process…

Although the film shares its title with a 1970s Cronenberg movie, the two have nothing in common. This Crimes of the Future certainly stands on its own two feet while providing thought-provoking moments. I’m not sure I can truly say I enjoyed watching it, but I admire Cronenberg’s singular vision. What I will say, however, is don’t watch it while eating.

Even if the film isn’t to your taste, there should be something among the vast array of special features to peak your interest, including a ‘making of’ documentary and an interview with Cronenberg himself.