Infinity Pool 4K 2023 2160p WEB-DL

Young couple James and Em Foster (Alexander Skarsgard and Cleopatra Coleman) arrive on the fictional island of La Tolca for an all-inclusive vacation. After a tragic incident, however, the real face of the island, full of violence, hedonism and surreal horrors, is revealed to the characters.

Infinity Pool 4K Review
James Foster (Alexander Skarsgard) is a writer in deep creative crisis, his last and not particularly successful novel released six years ago. In pursuit of inspiration, James and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) travel to a resort hotel in the dangerous, authoritarian (thankfully, fictional) country of La Tolka. While on vacation, James meets his apparently one and only groupie in the world, Gaby (Mia Goth). The girl convinces the pair to go outside the hotel for a harmless picnic, which ends in an accident and the death of a local resident. According to the rules of La Tolke country, the penalty for death is death, but if you have enough money, you can make your own clone and watch him die in your place. James gets off with a mild scare, Em hurries to leave the country, but the cat-and-mouse with death drags the writer, slaying clones becomes a game of chance for him, as well as for other visitors to the hotel.

Brandon Cronenberg, son of body horror master David Cronenberg, has followed in his father's footsteps, though comparing their work is a failed idea in advance. Whereas David, in his films, reflects more on the evolution of man and technology and the inevitability of progress, Brandon plunges his gaze into the abyss of his own consciousness, ranging from depression to kink to humiliation. In "Infinity Pool," Brandon explores the most unpleasant subject for any artist: the creative crisis. His character drowns in his own doubts and feels worthless both in the eyes of his wealthy wife (literally keeping the grief writer in revenge on his father) and in the environment of his new company, allowing Gaby to coddle himself.

In the death of his own clones, James finds an outlet, trying to bury his infirmity with them. The frenzied commune of the rich at the resort hotel is like a materialized depressing thought that seeks to exaggerate all the shortcomings of his creative nature and cut off any attempts to get out of the crisis at the root. James literally fights his inner trembling creature, and he loses this battle time after time, no longer understanding where the clone is and where he is and whether there is a difference between the two. Roughly translated from body horror to Russian: the reason for the block lies in self-loathing, and in the fight against yourself you are sure to fail.

Though the mere existence of "Infinity Pool" disproves Cronenberg Jr.'s theory: judging by the successful release, he has temporarily beaten writer's block. The film can hardly be called as shocking as the promotional campaign threatens to be, but the film will still raise the anxiety level by a few points. "Pool" is only the director's third feature, and he's already going full-on crazy, showing notable progress since his previous "In Other People's Skin." Although Cronenberg's work is still a bit raw, there's a huge sense of potential in the creator's unique style - the director may have to bury a couple of clones in his backyard to realize it fully and achieve conventional perfection.

New scream queen Mia Goth, as usual, stole the show. She has no equal in the roles of psychopaths, the actress fully trusts her instincts and body language, which allows her to go far beyond the usual and trigger the viewer's nervous system. While all eyes are rightfully fixed on Goth, we also want to note the new height of Alexander Skarsgard: if we are used to seeing the actor in roles of abusers or tough northerners, "The Pool" is the exact opposite case. Here, Skarsgard is literally a walking inflamed ulcer, exuding fear and painful insecurity. To explore these qualities in itself is not the most pleasant occupation, and certainly to translate the weaknesses outward is not everyone under force. If the film academy didn't hate horror movies, the performances of the title couple could have been nominated for an Oscar.

Overall, The Endless Pool is a great family movie if family is you and your cockroaches in your head; White Lotus is for creative martyrs with a penchant for self-torture, practically therapy for desperate artists. If you fit the description, enjoy watching, if not, strength.