Infinity Pool (2023)

Brandon Cronenberg builds on the promise of his first two features, Antiviral (2012) and Possessor (2020) with this satirical nightmare featuring a reliable Alexander Skarsgard and an excellently unhinged performance from Mia Goth.

Skaragard’s James Foster and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are holidaying abroad in a gated compound, when Foster, drunk at the wheel, hits and kills a local man after they venture outside the resort one day, against the rules of the compound.

The following day Foster is arrested and told the penalty for his crime is death; or, have himself cloned and be forced to watch his doppelganger killed instead.

James chooses the latter, and while his wife is traumatised at witnessing the subsequent execution and wants to leave the country immediately, James isn’t in the same hurry. Intrigued by the wildness and seductive nature of Gabi (Goth) who was with them when the man was killed, he stays on the island as he can’t find his passport while Em returns home, with James becoming increasingly drawn into Gabi’s group of western tourists, all of whom have committed crimes and watched their doubles die.

The spectre of J.G Ballard hangs heavy over Infinity Pool, even more so than his previous work, as well as more recent peers such as Ben Wheatley and of course, Cronenberg’s own father, David. Thankfully, Cronenberg uses his influences wisely, producing more than enough of his own originality to make for thoroughly impressive and engaging work.

Infinity Pool is perhaps not as out there as Possessor, but with any luck it will bring Cronenberg to a wider audience; despite its mayhem, Infinity Pool is arguably his most accessible film to date, anchored by a truly terrifying performance from Goth, who is well on the rise after last years X and this years' Pearl. 7.9/10