**SPOILERS** I saw that interview with Sarah Michelle Gellar and agree it was gross when the crowd cheered about catching her cold. As a fan of those late-night talk shows where the crowd cheers like mad for pretty much anything, it kind of blew me away to learn that Brandon Cronenberg got the idea for this film from a comment she made while promoting a film on Letterman ten years ago.
But, on to the review. It's probably unfair to compare this film to anything by David Cronenberg, but the similarities are definitely here. I'm a big fan of Cronenberg Sr. and the body-horror genre, but for some reason, "Antiviral" didn't quite live up to what I was hoping for in terms of plot. You'll want to see this movie for one reason: Caleb Landry Jones. His acting and the banana-bread sermon joke were the two redeeming factors in "The Last Exorcism" and here, Jones is at his best as virus-salesman Syd March. You know nothing about the character. He looks like he could be anywhere from 18 to 40. He's quiet, he's sad, and he's strangely aloof and beautiful. His apartment is bare, his fridge has only orange juice and wrapped egg-salad sandwiches, and his closet contains several sets of the same suit he's wearing in nearly every scene. At work, he's a smooth-talking, creepy outsider who always looks ill; yet he sells his wares with an almost violating sex appeal. He's meant to be the predator on the lookout for the most rabid fan willing to shell out cash, yet throughout the film you see Syd become the victim of a sinister series of events.
Herein lies my disappointment with the movie: the plot and its missing pieces. The most popular celebrity is Hannah Geist. Like Syd, you know nothing about her. Is she an heiress, an actress, maybe a model? All that matters is everyone wants a part of her; she's perfect and her flaws are the stuff of urban legends. When Syd infects himself with Hannah's blood and she dies soon after, he's not only proved how devoted he is to his work, but he's also the fan who is apparently most-obsessed: he's going to share her fate. The story surrounding Hannah and what happens to her has some serious holes. Not only that, but Cronenberg stays true to his celebrity-obsessed vision and keeps the barrier in place between Syd and Hannah. This is a shame because throughout the film you actually see a sort of clinically-sterile love-story develop between Syd and Hannah and it's never realized. The on-screen chemistry between Jones and Gadon is palpable and it makes the film great. But nothing comes of it. It never reaches any satisfying end. It's tragic in the sense that Syd, although he's infected and has access to all of Hannah's illnesses, is no closer to "communion" with her then any other obsessed fan.
I suppose I would have written the story differently and perhaps I didn't love this film because it didn't have the ending *I* wanted. I also felt that a few of the scenes that had amazing potential never came to fruition, mainly the scene where a kidnapped Syd is locked in a "cell" with giant photos of Hannah on the walls. It just never reaches that climatic high that it could have (maybe I've been spoiled by the melting hands and exploding heads of the older Cronenberg ). Regardless, the cinematography is beautiful. You'll get the chills from the dried blood on the white sheets, from the pallid glow of Jones' skin as it's stained with red rash, and from the clash of Gadon's straw-yellow hair and crimson lips. It's genius. I am definitely looking forward to what Brandon Cronenberg comes up with in the future!
But, on to the review. It's probably unfair to compare this film to anything by David Cronenberg, but the similarities are definitely here. I'm a big fan of Cronenberg Sr. and the body-horror genre, but for some reason, "Antiviral" didn't quite live up to what I was hoping for in terms of plot. You'll want to see this movie for one reason: Caleb Landry Jones. His acting and the banana-bread sermon joke were the two redeeming factors in "The Last Exorcism" and here, Jones is at his best as virus-salesman Syd March. You know nothing about the character. He looks like he could be anywhere from 18 to 40. He's quiet, he's sad, and he's strangely aloof and beautiful. His apartment is bare, his fridge has only orange juice and wrapped egg-salad sandwiches, and his closet contains several sets of the same suit he's wearing in nearly every scene. At work, he's a smooth-talking, creepy outsider who always looks ill; yet he sells his wares with an almost violating sex appeal. He's meant to be the predator on the lookout for the most rabid fan willing to shell out cash, yet throughout the film you see Syd become the victim of a sinister series of events.
Herein lies my disappointment with the movie: the plot and its missing pieces. The most popular celebrity is Hannah Geist. Like Syd, you know nothing about her. Is she an heiress, an actress, maybe a model? All that matters is everyone wants a part of her; she's perfect and her flaws are the stuff of urban legends. When Syd infects himself with Hannah's blood and she dies soon after, he's not only proved how devoted he is to his work, but he's also the fan who is apparently most-obsessed: he's going to share her fate. The story surrounding Hannah and what happens to her has some serious holes. Not only that, but Cronenberg stays true to his celebrity-obsessed vision and keeps the barrier in place between Syd and Hannah. This is a shame because throughout the film you actually see a sort of clinically-sterile love-story develop between Syd and Hannah and it's never realized. The on-screen chemistry between Jones and Gadon is palpable and it makes the film great. But nothing comes of it. It never reaches any satisfying end. It's tragic in the sense that Syd, although he's infected and has access to all of Hannah's illnesses, is no closer to "communion" with her then any other obsessed fan.
I suppose I would have written the story differently and perhaps I didn't love this film because it didn't have the ending *I* wanted. I also felt that a few of the scenes that had amazing potential never came to fruition, mainly the scene where a kidnapped Syd is locked in a "cell" with giant photos of Hannah on the walls. It just never reaches that climatic high that it could have (maybe I've been spoiled by the melting hands and exploding heads of the older Cronenberg ). Regardless, the cinematography is beautiful. You'll get the chills from the dried blood on the white sheets, from the pallid glow of Jones' skin as it's stained with red rash, and from the clash of Gadon's straw-yellow hair and crimson lips. It's genius. I am definitely looking forward to what Brandon Cronenberg comes up with in the future!
Tell Your Friends