Vivarium (2019)

[Leisher]

I genuinely don't know how I feel about this one. According to reviews, you're either going to love it or hate it, so why am I in the middle?

A young couple is hunting for a house and end up trapped in a weird, colorful neighborhood raising a baby that isn't theirs.

Beautifully shot, it stars Imogen Poots, who carries the film, and Jesse Eisenberg.

Let's start off with the biggest flaw in the movie: It's a feature length film. It did not need to be. The message here could have been more effectively conveyed in a short. A short wouldn't have people complaining about wasting 90 minutes of their life. Why are they complaining? Because, generally speaking, nothing happens. It's a very dull 90 minute grind whose point gets made in the first two minutes...or does it?

See, you'll know the plot of the movie simply by watching the opening credit scene. I'm not kidding. The movie's entire plot is laid out right there. No twists are coming.

However, there's the pretentious folks who think if you don't understand it, you're the asshole and should shut up. Well, here's the thing...I do understand it. The messages in this film are not difficult to translate. So if you think the messages are going over people's head, maybe you're the moron? The problem I have is that the message doesn't match the story, unless you are adopted or have a fucking insanely miserable outlook on life, parents, marriage, kids, and so on.

And that's really the key of this film. If you hate your life, your career, your parents, your marriage, your family, your kids, etc. then this movie was made for you. If you don't hate those things, you might find the movie pretty insulting.

It's definitely a conversation starter, but one that seems to have been created by some pretty miserable people.

[GORDON]

It was ok. That opening "here's what this is about" scene was unnecessary, I would have understood.