infinity pool movie review 2023

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It almost feels like ticket buyers should have to prove that they've seen Brandon Cronenberg 's "Possessor" before being allowed admittance to his newest film, "Infinity Pool." That way, they know what they're in for. Once again, the increasingly impressive son of David Cronenberg has made a wildly surreal, unapologetic, violent, and pornographic movie about privilege, morality, and things I couldn't possibly begin to explain in a review. Cronenberg takes unbelievably big swings here—maybe even more than his last movie—and he does not bother to hold your hand along the way. He is a fascinating filmmaker, one who I think has not quite yet made his masterpiece, but I'm becoming increasingly convinced he will soon.

In a set-up that's like " The White Lotus " meets body horror, "Infinity Pool" opens at an exclusive resort in a fictional country. Author James Foster ( Alexander Skarsgard ) is looking for inspiration while his partner Em ( Cleopatra Coleman ) tries to support the writer's block that has led to no new books in six years. When a beautiful young woman named Gabi ( Mia Goth , phenomenal again) approaches James and tells him that she's a fan, he's instantly captivated. He convinces Em to go off the resort grounds with Gabi and her partner Alban ( Jalil Lespert ), even though that's against the rules. After a night of drinking, James gets into an accident on the way home, which leads to the death of a local man.

All four travelers are taken in by ominous authorities, led by a perfectly refined Thomas Kretschmann as Thresh. He explains to James that the country they're in has a very explicit policy: murder must be avenged by the victim's son. However, this country also has a way out, a cloning process for the extremely wealthy that will create another James to be murdered while the original one watches. It's a fantastic concept, one that comments on how the uber-rich can pay their way out of anything while also asking what it would do to a person if they watched their own murder.

What it does to James and all the other rich people at the resort is to essentially remove any sort of moral compass. If there's no consequence, why not steal, screw, and murder your way through a hedonistic lifestyle? As Em looks on in horror, Gabi basically pulls James into a world of unadulterated pleasure and violence, and Cronenberg seems to be suggesting that it is only our fear of repercussion that keeps us from indulging in every possible pain and pleasure. The travelers wear local masks that look like deformed faces, which allows even more anonymity. And then there's the ultimate question that would nag at a person—what if the clone was actually the original and you're no longer even the first version of yourself? Someone refers to these people as zombies, and they have a similar amorality.

Although no one would mistake this for a traditional zombie flick. Cronenberg gets increasingly surreal as he takes bigger and bigger chances, obviously excited by the potential of his own premise. They don't all work. I wish the film had a sharper POV and came together in the end with a more coherent message. However, even when "Infinity Pool" is just playfully experimenting with chaos, it's confidently made and compelling. It helps to have committed performers who are all in on Cronenberg's vision, especially a physically demanding performance by Skarsgard and another riveting one from Goth. She has a scene on a car hood that rivals the acclaimed ones she had in Ti West's films last year. She rules.

And I'm starting to think Brandon Cronenberg does too. He keeps developing as a filmmaker by finding new high-concept ways to interrogate what we think we know about human decency. It's got to be a bit frustrating to constantly be compared to his father, but David Cronenberg is one of my favorite filmmakers in the history of the form. And so it's a great compliment to say that "Infinity Pool" works completely divorced from the lineage of the man who made it. Brandon has become his own captivating filmmaker on his own terms. He's no clone.

This review was filed from the Sundance Film Festival. "Infinity Pool" opens on January 27th.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Infinity Pool (2023)

118 minutes

Alexander Skarsgård as James

Mia Goth as Gabi

Cleopatra Coleman as Em

Thomas Kretschmann as Thresh

Amanda Brugel as Jennifer

John Ralston as Dr. Modan

Caroline Boulton as Bex

Jeff Ricketts as Charles

Jalil Lespert as Alban

Brandon Cronenberg

Director of Photography

Karim Hussain

Original Music Composer

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‘Infinity Pool’ Review: Body Trouble

A wealthy writer succumbs to the lure of consequence-free violence in this artfully potent blend of horror and science fiction.

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Two people sitting in the back of a convertible, wearing disfigured masks.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

For several seconds at the beginning of Brandon Cronenberg’s third feature, “Infinity Pool,” there is nothing but a blank screen and a woman’s whispered question. The woman is Em Foster (Cleopatra Coleman), and it’s clear that her husband, James (Alexander Skarsgard), has been talking in his sleep. Two of the words we hear are “brain death,” and, as the movie glides forward, they feel more and more like a warning.

Moneyed yet miserable, the couple has come to an upscale resort on a fictional island, their marriage as becalmed as James’s artistic inspiration. Years earlier, he wrote a poorly-reviewed novel, his inability to follow up — and a lifestyle financed by Em’s father — causing frustration and marital distance. Boredom is unexpectedly alleviated by an invitation to join two European guests, Gabi and Alban (Mia Goth and Jalil Lespert), on a forbidden excursion outside the resort’s strangely fortified compound. Exactly what are the barbed wire and heavily guarded gates trying to keep out?

It is probably not what you think: Cronenberg has so far been less curious about external threats than whatever danger lurks inside us. So when a car accident leaves one islander dead and James in police custody, and he is offered a horrifying choice — accept execution or pay for a double to die in his stead — his decision will either transform him or simply activate a rot that was festering all along.

The catch is that James must observe the killing. And that’s only the beginning of a movie that some might consider depraved, though its startlingly explicit imagery, including a phantasmagorical orgy, can sometimes distract from its cunning artistry. Soaked in an atmosphere of unrelenting dread, “Infinity Pool” works its canted camera angles and insistent, drumbeat-heavy score to transfixing effect. And when James joins a drugged-out cohort of rich revelers, all of whom are longtime members of the island’s get-out-of-jail-for-a-price program, his self-loathing climbs in tandem with the group’s escalating brutality.

Like the gloriously viscous process of creating the replicants, much of “Infinity Pool” might be funny if it weren’t so disturbing. Skarsgard is marvelous, gobbling food like an animal as invigoration and arousal replace emasculation. And Goth ( fresh from last year’s “Pearl” ) is a human interrobang, silken and seductive one minute, banshee-like the next. The performances sync perfectly with a movie that, in common with its titular amenity, is without visible limits; but there’s more going on here than a nihilistic tableau of unrestrained privilege. Presenting violence as both entertainment and aphrodisiac (as the director’s father, David Cronenberg, did so nauseatingly in his 1997 film, “Crash” ), “Infinity Pool” probes deeper into the psychological effects on the perpetrator. It’s a theme the younger director explored brilliantly in his 2020 film, “Possessor” (whose assassin can also kill with impunity), and it shows him grappling with a more twisted and complex morality.

“Do you worry that they killed the wrong man?,” James is asked after one double is executed. Surreal, sophisticated and sometimes sickening, “Infinity Pool” suggests that while the elder Cronenberg might be fixated on the disintegration of our bodies, his son is more concerned with the destruction of our souls.

Infinity Pool Rated R for murderous tourists and militaristic genitals. Running time: 1 hour 57 minutes. In theaters.

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Infinity Pool Reviews

I had a lot of trouble watching this because I found it very disturbing. If you are a horror fan, you might like this. I am not, but I did find this movie well crafted and well acted.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jan 16, 2024

All in all, this is still a lush, queasy, interesting film, despite not being an unequivocal triumph like the extraordinary Possessor.

Full Review | Jan 2, 2024

The film has a barely passes because visually it is visually interesting, it is entertaining most of the time (but not all), and Alexander Skarsgard and Mia Goth save it with their performances. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Dec 28, 2023

Infinity Pool is intense, nightmarish, overwhelming and, most troubling of all, pretty sexy.

Full Review | Oct 28, 2023

The film isn't bad by any stretch...[but] its attempts to force a semi-obscure parable...brand Infinity Pool with a uniquely Canadian desperation for implied depth through head-scratching complexity that, at times, can feel more film school than Hollywood

Full Review | Oct 16, 2023

Cronenberg is now going all-in for the cinema of nightmares, with a film that gets under the skin and itches, invades the brain and plays havoc with the synapses.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2023

Cronenberg’s universe exaggerates reality to critique postmodern colonialism and cultural appropriation.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 16, 2023

Spins the head but ultimately doesn't stimulate it.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Aug 8, 2023

Don't be fooled by the slick cinematic treatment, Cronenberg's here to push you to think about how you justify your choices. Infinity Pool's a vulgar, darkly humorous, incisive commentary on privilege, debauchery, enticement, and the destruction of soul.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.8/10 | Aug 4, 2023

A madhouse of depraved body horror delights that takedown the privileged class in a satirical (and often campy) elaborate panoply of sadism, fixation, dominance, sex, and carnage.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Jul 25, 2023

The set up, characters, and ideas are all there—Infinity Pool just could not find a way to blend them all together.

Full Review | Jul 25, 2023

The first half of Infinity Pool captivated me as it introduces its interesting concept & Disturbing psychedelic imagery slowly unravels onto the view of how the rich & powerful are in control of systems. Goth & Skarsgard are STUNNING.

Brandon Cronenberg offers a playground for the privilege with an all-inclusive nightmare vacation full of leashes, bodily fluids, and rubber that satirizes colonial tourism and power dynamics.

If Goth couldn't flip from enticing to merciless so suddenly and seamlessly, Infinity Pool wouldn't be the entrancing nightmare about soulless sound, fury, sex, bodies, life and death signifying nothing that it so deeply and intoxicatingly is.

Full Review | Jul 22, 2023

Mia Goth shines in an unhinged exploration of hedonism and the many horrors that come with a consequence-free world

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 21, 2023

It’s most definitely not for those of weak constitutions -- or faint hearts -- but it’s also not a movie, once seen, you can easily forget.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 14, 2023

More than an exercise in calling out greed and perversion, the filmmaker uses his art to give it shape. He approaches the subject with a similar apathy as his characters—presenting a cesspool of drugs, sex, and violence from a position of complacency.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jul 14, 2023

Through a surreal and violent narrative, the film raises questions that delve into the essence of morality and human nature. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Jul 5, 2023

The film has many narrative and visual layers, so many whims and tangents, that the story becomes a bit anarchic and chaotic, but even with its excesses and delusions, Infinity Pool is fascinating and seductive. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 30, 2023

Take a dip.

Full Review | Jun 27, 2023

International edition
Australia edition
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‘Toxic energy’ … Mia Goth in Infinity Pool.

Infinity Pool review – Brandon Cronenberg’s holiday horror has tremendous Mia Goth

Cronenberg has the 1% in his sights in this unnerving satire about wealthy tourists who get more than they bargained for in a luxury resort

B randon Cronenberg’s new film serves up another slice of that luxury fear-porn that we’ve had on TV’s The White Lotus and Succession , or Triangle of Sadness in the movies. Here, the trappings and appurtenances of the leisured super-rich might turn out to be just the design features of a prison. Infinity Pool is set in a super-exclusive vacation resort, a razor-wired compound of pampering on an otherwise poverty-stricken fictional island – but the place turns out to have Hotel California-style rules about the respective times available for checking out and leaving.

Infinity Pool is part body horror, part folk horror, with twisty hints of JG Ballard and Ian McEwan; it also features a tremendous turn from Mia Goth, who is currently ruling our cinema screens elsewhere in Ti West’s shocker Pearl . There are some intriguingly nasty ideas, along with nice performances from Goth and from her male lead, Alexander Skarsgård. But after a great opening, there are some shark-jumping moments in the second and third acts, and the doppelganger idea is a bit tired. Getting the same actor to play the two parts is really something that should be confined to film students’ graduation projects or TikTok videos.

Skarsgård is James Foster, a failed novelist on holiday in the imaginary island of La Tolqa with his stylish and wealthy wife, Em (Cleopatra Coleman), whose money is paying for it all. They mope listlessly around the pool and buffet, uneasily noticing locals’ protests about the way Indigenous La Tolqa islanders are being exploited by the white western 1% on their sun loungers.

Things pick up when James meets fellow vacationer Gabi, played by Goth, who pertly declares herself to be a huge fan of his (only) novel. Succumbing instantly to her flattery and sexiness, James persuades Em that they should hang out with Gabi and her faintly sinister older husband, Alban (Jalil Lespert), who are giving off a bit of a key-party vibe.

All four somehow manage to leave the secure holiday compound for a boozy beachside picnic in the scary crime-ridden island, but while blearily driving back in the darkness something awful happens and their vacation turns into a nightmare. The La Tolqa law that those guilty of capital crimes have to be ritually slaughtered by the victim’s surviving relative is mitigated by a certain bizarre factor: guilty rich westerners can pay to avoid the worst using a certain technological procedure. Cronenberg seems pre-emptively concerned that the audience is going to second-guess the ending here, and an obvious reveal is ruled out straight away. But James has no choice but to join what amounts to a secret cult of Dionysiac violence: a sinister league of raddled, worldly western sensualists, led by the entertainingly nasty Gabi.

This is an always watchable film, although its status as satire is a bit unclear and it appears always to be drifting into and then away from a terrifying, mind-melting climax. When the ending does come, there is something disconcertingly downbeat about it, although the final image of James is unnerving and oddly poignant. It’s a movie straining for more than it’s achieving, moment by moment, but Goth’s toxic energy always holds the attention.

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‘Infinity Pool’ Review: How Many Alexander Skarsgård Clones Does It Take to Screw Up Your Vacation Plans?

Brandon Cronenberg goes well past the edge in this deranged critique of Western decadence, featuring Mia Goth as the vixen who leads the up-for-anything 'True Blood' star astray.

By Peter Debruge

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In “ Infinity Pool ,” what happens in Li Tolqa stays in Li Tolqa, an impoverished country where, if they’re rich enough, foreign guests can literally get away with murder. But that’s not the half of it. Visitors hold grotesque, drug-addled orgies at which their genitalia appear to morph before your eyes. The locals host sick rituals, too, wherein miscreants are cloned and then forced to witness their own executions. And then there are the macabre Li Tolqan skin masks, which suggest generations of inbreeding, or maybe they’re just the half-salvaged faces of botched doubling experiments.

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Cronenberg shocks with an extreme close-up of the money shot (how this movie got an R rating is anybody’s guess), which helps position audiences for some of the perverse imagery to come — as if we weren’t already on guard after the unsettling series of spiraling expository shots that play over the film’s opening minutes, or editor James Vandewater’s jagged sense of cutting. Too drunk to drive back, Alban gives the wheel to James, who mows down a farmer crossing the road in the dead of night. Cronenberg goes straight for the gore, shooting broken bones, crushed skulls and crimson pools of blood with the appetite of a gourmet food photographer. He takes a more roundabout line to the guilt, which is what “Infinity Pool” is really about — or one of the key themes in this prickly critique, at least.

At Gabi’s insistence, they don’t call the cops. The movie plays on Western fears of so-called “shithole countries,” the sort of places where they’ve been warned that desperate locals will rape, kill or kidnap tourists — although in this case, it’s the visitors who are responsible for most of the violence. (The resort and coastlines were shot in Croatia, with other locations filmed in Hungary, though the use of unreadable signage and off-white extras suggest somewhere less Occidental.) The corrupt authorities are even more intimidating than the vaguely menacing civilians glimpsed along the roads, and James starts to freak out when he and Em are arrested the next morning.

Here the film takes a sci-fi turn, as police chief Thresh (Thomas Kretschmann) explains the punishment for manslaughter: Under the law, the victim’s eldest “should kill you in order to preserve the family’s honor.” Luckily, there’s a loophole. The Li Tolqans have developed a doubling procedure, available at a premium cost, through which lawbreakers may have themselves copied, memories and all. They may then have the doppelgänger punished in their place. Who wouldn’t accept such an offer? From where Cronenberg sits, it’s a fascinating psychological proposition. Some people fantasize about attending their own funerals. Here, you can witness your execution instead.

But if the double really is your duplicate, how do you know which version of yourself was killed? Does it even really matter? Over three features, Cronenberg and DP Karim Hussain have established a unique visual language, which ranges from slick-to-the-point-of-sinister atmospheric photography to phantasmagoric in-the-mouth-of-madness hallucinations of the kind Henri-George Clouzot experimented with for “Inferno.” The latter kick in during the cloning procedure, as “Infinity Pool” drowns us in a montage of bizarro body parts, most of them likely prosthetic, though they blink by too quickly to tell. All that skin is undeniably erotic, but disturbing too.

What follows is a nearly incoherent stew of deranged — and darkly humorous — power games, as Goth’s Gabi becomes a cackling crone bent on humiliating James. His downward spiral is striking to watch, but increasingly difficult to process (the subliminal quick-cutting doesn’t make it any easier). By the time we’re confronted with Skarsgård rabidly wrestling a naked version of himself into submission, the film has long ceased to make sense. The Canadian helmer has created the cinematic equivalent of an M.C. Escher drawing, which bends and breaks and folds back on itself in impossible ways. Brain-shattering as it all is, we can hardly tear our eyes away.

Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Midnight), Jan. 22, 2023. MPA Rating: R. Running time: 118 MIN.

Production: (Canada-Croatia-Hungary) A Neon release of a Neon, Topic Studios presentation of a Film Forge, Elevation Pictures, 4Film, Hero Squared production, with the participation of Telefilm Canada, with the support of Eurimages, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, in association with Celluloid Dreams. Producers: Karen Harnisch, Andrew Cividino, Christina Piovesan, Noah Segal, Rob Cotterill, Anita Juka, Daniel Kresmery, Jonathan Halperyn. Executive producers: Jeff Deutchman, Emily Thomas, Tom Quinn, Ryan Heller, Michael Bloom, Maria Zuckerman, Laurie May, Adrian Love, Alexander Skarsgård, Brandon Cronenberg, Emily Kulasa, Hengameh Panahi, Charlotte Mickie.
Crew: Director, writer: Brandon Cronenberg. Camera: Karim Hussain. Editor: James Vandewater. Music: Tim Hecker.
With: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalis Lespert, Amanda Brugel, John Ralston, Jeffrey Ricketts, Caroline Boulton, Thomas Kretschmann.

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A woman and man wearing red and white masks with red hair attached to the top ride in a car, while the woman makes a puckered lip face in Infinity Pool

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In Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool, the sex and satire drip off the screen

Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård lead Cronenberg’s bloody, debauched follow-up to Possessor

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This review was originally published in conjunction with Infinity Pool ’s premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. It has been updated for the movie’s streaming release.

Infinity Pool is the best horror-satire about Americans (and Brits, and one Austrian) abroad since Hostel . The hype surrounding the movie focuses on the depravity on display in Brandon Cronenberg’s follow-up to 2020’s Possessor , which is fair: The squibs are juicy, the nudity is full-frontal, and the psychedelic orgy sequence is extended. But there’s a trenchant point to all the blood, sex, and urine.

On the fictional island nation of La Tolqua, guests of the Pa Qlqa Pearl Princess resort are forbidden to venture outside the barbed-wire gates of the “compound.” And why would they? Pa Qlqa is a beachside paradise with its own Chinese restaurant and Bollywood dance performances. In the world of Infinity Pool , it’s a simulacrum of the world that allows tourists to feel like they’re getting an “international experience” without having to interact with anyone who doesn’t speak English. It’s the ideal tourist economy, everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Stripping a place of its identity inevitably leads to stripping its people of humanity as well. That’s the appeal for a darker subset of Pa Qlqa regulars, who come to the island specifically to take advantage of a rule that allows foreigners to get away with any of the many crimes that carry the death penalty in La Tolqua. Blasphemy, drug possession, murder — all capital crimes, and all of them forgivable for the right price. (This is such a common practice, there’s an ATM in the police headquarters specifically for withdrawing payoffs.) This allows Americans like Gabi (Mia Goth), Alban (Jalil Lespert), and their friends to treat La Tolqua like a hedonistic playground where absolutely nothing is off-limits.

Gabi (Mia Goth) sits at the end of a beach chair while James (Alexander Skarsgård) looks at an ornate white and red mask in Infinity Pool

Gabi and Alban have a swinger energy. (Indiscriminate cuddling is what gives it away.) And indeed, they pull unsuspecting married couple James (Alexander Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) into their wanton lifestyle using a “we saw you across the bar” type of tactic, only in this case, it’s “I read your book.” James is an author, and not a terribly successful one: It’s been six years since his first (and last) novel came out, and he and Em, whose rich dad bankrolls the couple’s lifestyle, have come to La Tolqua in search of “inspiration.” They’ll get it, but not in the way they were expecting.

James and Em agree to accompany Gabi and Alban on a secretive jaunt away from the resort and into the countryside of La Tolqua, a bizarre combination of tropical paradise and late Soviet-style decaying industrial state. Suffice to say that the outing leads to James and Em being interrogated by Detective Thresh (Thomas Kretschmann) in the crumbling concrete bunker that serves as La Tolqua police headquarters. There’s a sci-fi element to the country’s get-out-of-jail-free policy, which is best not spoiled here. To once again yadda-yadda past the details, the process blows James’ mind and shakes Em to her core, setting up a conflict that’s exacerbated by Gabi’s aggressive sexual advances on James.

2022 was a big year for Mia Goth, who seems to have found her lane as an actor through her dual roles in Ti West’s sex-soaked X and its bloody prequel Pearl . She performs in a similarly deranged register here — there’s no one in the game right now who can cackle maniacally while firing a gun quite like Mia Goth, and Cronenberg takes advantage of her gift for unhinged ranting throughout the film.

Skarsgård, meanwhile, plays the sub to Goth’s chaotic domme, pushing past his character’s initial discomfort to a primal place beyond both morality and impulse control. (Ironically, Gabi and her friends frequently refer to La Tolquans as “animals” while behaving animalistically themselves.) His head hangs limply on his neck, and his eyes glaze over as he spits maraschino cherries at disgusted resort guests and crawls on all fours wearing a dog collar.

James (Alexander Skarsgård) in close-up drips blood out of his mouth while kneeling and wearing a black dog collar in Infinity Pool

Infinity Pool spins out into body horror as its decadence grows more psychedelic, thanks to a drug called “ekki gate,” which Gabi reassures James is the only hallucinogen allowed in La Tolqua. (“It’s a religious thing,” she says.) The parallel between this plot point and Americans going to South America to sample ayahuasca is telling. So are the orgies: There’s a chain of hotels in Jamaica called Hedonism II that advertises itself as a place where couples can go to fulfill their wildest erotic fantasies — all inside the safety of the resort, of course.

There’s also a thread in the movie about toxic masculinity and “domesticated” Western men seeking to “free themselves” through violence and subjugation — a theme that’s especially resonant in the wake of famously misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate being arrested in Romania on charges of human trafficking.

Cronenberg’s script for Infinity Pool is filled with dark, wry jokes, many of them laugh-out-loud funny. (Early on, Gabi says she’s an actress who specializes in “failing naturally” in commercials.) There are a lot of weird touches in this movie, and all of them serve a purpose; even the Leatherface-esque masks seen in the trailer have a dual function, enhancing the sense of depersonalization and evoking the commodification of native cultures. The only issue with the plot is that its climax is inevitable from the moment all is revealed. But, to be fair, the film is trimmed with so many shiny, violent ornaments that an overly complicated storytelling structure would have made Infinity Pool difficult to follow. As it is, the point is clear: A numbed-out cyclone of bottomless entitlement is the ugliest thing an American (or anyone from any other country) can be.

Infinity Pool is now available for purchase on Amazon , Vudu , and other digital platforms. Digital rental will be available Feb. 28.

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Movie Review

Infinity Pool is a surreal and chaotic descent into depravity

Alexander skarsgård and mia goth help carry this brutal mashup of sci-fi and horror from director brandon cronenberg..

By Andrew Webster , an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.

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A still photo of Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth in Infinity Pool.

Even the worst vacation you’ve ever had — screaming kids, delayed flights, cruise ship food poisoning — has nothing on Infinity Pool , the latest from director Brandon Cronenberg ( son of body horror master David Cronenberg ). What starts as an escape to a picturesque resort swiftly turns into a bizarre and gruesome game of violence and brutality, with a little existential horror thrown in for good measure. Infinity Pool doesn’t fully explore the elements that kick off its high-concept premise, but it’s worth it to watch two talented actors absolutely lose their shit.

The film takes place in the fictional country of Li Tolqa, where James (Alexander Skarsgård) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are taking an all-inclusive vacation at a peaceful resort. James is in search of inspiration: his debut book came out six years ago, promptly flopped, and he’s struggling with the follow-up, only able to survive because Em’s family owns a sprawling publishing empire. Eventually, the couple meets Gabi (Mia Goth), one of the book’s rare and elusive fans, and her partner, Alban (Jalil Lespert), and start hanging out.

Central to the story is the country itself. While wealthy Western tourists hang out on fancy expensive beaches, the rest of Li Tolqa is a poor, superstitious, and extremely conservative country. Tourists aren’t even supposed to leave the resort, which is surrounded by an intimidating fence complete with armed guards. So when the two couples sneak out to go to a local beach for a picnic, things ultimately turn bad following a car accident.

James finds himself convicted of a crime in a country where the penalty is execution — but with a twist for the very rich. Criminals are able to pay an exorbitant amount of cash to be cloned and then forced to witness their double being executed instead of them. It’s kind of like a Get Out of Jail Free card, except your poor clone still has all of your memories when they’re being stabbed to death. You even get to keep their ashes. Rather than a punishment, though, for some people, this process of seeing themselves die awakens something dark deep inside of them. James finds himself pulled into a group of these sickos, led by Gabi, who treat Li Tolqa like a hedonistic getaway, where they are essentially invincible and able to do whatever they want because they can pay their way out of it.

Infinity Pool raises some interesting questions about existence, as James and his cohort briefly contemplate what it means to have a clone with all of the same memories. But that doesn’t last long. Mostly, they use the legal loophole as an excuse to do whatever they want, coming up with twisted “games” full of brutal violence to make their vacation more exciting. They get caught, watch themselves die, and do it all over again. ( It’s a kind of death loop, if you will .) The film is primarily a chronicle of James’ descent into madness through surreal montages of orgies and murder.

Ultimately, there isn’t much to the existential side of the story, and the film also breezes past its thread of wealthy, mostly white tourists turning a foreign country into a hedonistic playground. These elements are part of the initial setup and are quickly forgotten, so don’t go in expecting something like a horror version of The White Lotus that explores colonial tourism. But Infinity Pool still works as a strange and unsettling exploration of the depths of depravity the tourists sink to, thanks to a combination of Cronenberg’s shocking imagery — this is definitely not for the squeamish, with lots of close-ups of brutal violence and, uh, morphing genitals — and the performances of Skarsgård and Goth.

Skarsgård really embodies the premise. He starts out as clean-cut and clearheaded, but the seduction of power and violence turns him into something completely different by the end. At times, he’s a hulking brute fueled by a local drug, and other times he’s a drooling mess led around like a horrible puppy. Goth, meanwhile, continues to be one of the preeminent faces of modern horror, following up her turn in Pearl with another stunner — controlling events with a calm sort of charm that’s almost mesmerizing. When she does finally let loose, it is absolutely terrifying.

As an intellectual exercise, Infinity Pool is disappointing — but as a strange and uncomfortable ride through (an all-inclusive) hell, it definitely works. And it will make your next hotel breakfast buffet seem not so bad after all.

This review is based on a screening at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Infinity Pool is in theaters on January 27th.

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Infinity Pool (2023)

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Infinity Pool Review and Ending Explained – A Twisted, Weird, Disturbing Ride

Brandon Cronenberg is one of the most creative and twisted minds in Hollywood. He follows up his 2020 film Possessor with another wild ride in Infinity Pool . He brings horror queen Mia Goth and Alexanders Skarsgard along for the ride.

Infinity pool review and plot summary, is the horror movie infinity pool good, infinity pool ending explained.

Infinity Pool follows the story of a couple on vacation who are having a great time until a crazy turn of events finds them behind bars.

We meet James (Skarsgard), who sees a person going mad on the beach. Moments later, we see Gabi (Goth) inform him of what is happening, followed by complimenting him on his book. She knew he was author James Foster, and he was shocked as he said not many people read his book. The duo shares a little back-and-forth banter leading to us meeting Gabi’s man, which leads to them inviting him out for dinner.

During dinner, we see Gabi and Thresh and James and Em chatting it up and getting to know each other. Gabi asks about James’s new book, but it’s a sore subject for James as he is looking for inspiration.

During dinner, Gabi and Thresh suggest that James and Em head out of the resort to spend the day with them. The following day, Em questions James on why they would leave the resort area as it could be very dangerous. However, James thinks it would be fun to mix things up a bit.

While the duo is out and about, James uses the restroom by a tree away from everyone else. Moments later, Gabi comes over and begins to pleasure James until he climaxes. (side note: this part was cut from the theatrical version of the film shown in theaters to get it from NC17 to Rated R .

I saw Infinity Pool at Sundance, and it was in this version still). Finally, as they head back to the resort, James is driving, and you can tell he begins to feel quite guilty, but while driving, he is trying to get the lights to work, but his lack of visibility causes him to hit someone with the car.

Of course, everyone is freaking out, and James wants to call the police, but Gabi explains that they need to get in the car and leave and that this isn’t a country where they want to go to jail. Unsure of what to do next, James and Em get back in the car and head back to the resort. Unfortunately, James starts to feel sick when they return to the resort because of what went down. Upon waking up the next day, James and Em are escorted to the police station.

If you follow Brandon Cronenberg’s work, like 2020’s Possessor , you know you are in for some twisted, weird, disturbing ride. The film starts off somewhat normal, but after we see James and Em get taken to jail, all things fly off the wall.

One thing I do love that he does is blur the lines of reality because you are often wondering what is real and what is not. Several sequences had you questioning things happening because they felt real, but then they didn’t.

Within the last year, we saw movies like The Menu , Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery , and Triangle of Sadness all take on wealth and class. We see Cronenberg tackle it in a more uncharacteristic way that is more shock and awe, but if you follow along, the point gets across rather well. I would be lying if I’m not a little tired of these types of films, but the exposure of the rich will never get old.

Caught up in this web of weirdness, you have two actors consistently proving they are the best of the best. Alexander Skarsgard and Mia Goth have shown their range of incredible work within this film industry in the last year.

However, I was quite a bit impressed with Goth in this as she is a little more restrained as Gabi. She is stunningly shot by Cronenberg, which highlights how much of a movie star she truly is. Goth will be a name you hear for generations to come.

Infinity Pool is a good movie. Goth and Skarsgard elevate this twisted, crazy, weird ride that I liked quite a bit. That said, unless you are familiar with Cronenberg’s work and how strange it can be, I don’t think this movie will be for you.

Infinity Pool (Credit – Elevation Pictures)

Infinity Pool ends where we see Gabi and her crew at the airport flying back home like nothing ever happened. However, like any good Cronenberg film ending, we get a massive twist that leaves you guessing what happened. We find out James hasn’t left the resort but sticks around sneaking back into the place, and the film comes to a close with us seeing James sitting down and getting drenched by rain.

What is James’s final test?

James must complete his transformation by beating a double of himself to death. We see James struggle with it, but he quickly understands he has no other choice. After completing the task, we see James relegated to crying in a fetal position on the floor. It was almost as if this moment was the birth of James joining Gabi’s little cult, or so we think.

Why does James Stay at the Resort?

The biggest theory is that he has stayed at the resort because the entire vacation has caused too much damage to him to go home. However, another one is that we see James’s clone at the end of the film and not James himself.

Basically, this is saying that James died in the execution earlier in the movie, and the person we see for the remainder of the film is his clone. It would explain his somewhat awkwardness and reluctance to leave the resort. I love a good theory, so if you have any ideas about what the ending meant, hit us in the comments below.

What did you think of Infinity Pool? Comment below.

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Ricky Valero joined Ready Steady Cut in January 2022 as a Film and TV writer and critic, and since then has published over 700 articles on the website. Ricky, a recognized movie critic, has been writing about films for almost a decade. Since joining the industry, he has covered numerous movie festivals, including Sundance Film Festival, AFI Fest, and SXSW Festival, and is a member of the prestigious Critics Choice Association.

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Infinity Pool Review

Infinity Pool

The idea that ‘rich people are bad, actually’ gets a simmering, stomach-churning spin in this new horror -thriller from writer-director Brandon Cronenberg , who asks: if you had enough money to buy your way out of trouble, even trouble as deep as the death sentence, how would you act? Just how terrible a person would you be, when all accountability is gone with the flash of an ATM machine? He answers it to dazzling effect, combining incredibly dark sci-fi conceits with equally black humour and visceral violence.

Mia Goth gives a genius performance as Gabi, a femme fatale who leads protagonist James ( Alexander Skarsgård ) astray. Whether she’s doing her ditzy acting speciality over dinner, seducing James with a look, or screaming at him from next to a bucket of fried chicken, every second of her performance is a demented, dominatrix-esque delight. All big eyes, bald brows and blonde hair, one look from that cherubic face could convince you to do anything, and the sheer power of her presence means she seems to tower over Skarsgård, despite their physical height difference.

James is, let’s be honest, a bit of a drip: essentially a failed author, had a major leg-up into the industry, emasculated by his wife’s wealth. Skarsgård taps into the complete opposite energy of that we last saw him with in The Northman , going from alpha Viking to a beta loser so desperate for validation that he falls for Gabi’s fangirl act instantly; he commits entirely to James’ journey in embracing his most basic, primal instincts.

It feels as though Brandon Cronenberg is simply in search of a good time.

The supporting characters, including Gabi’s husband Alben (Jalil Lespert) and their friends, are far less compelling. Generic rich nobodies, the group’s connection is flimsy — but given how flippant they are about their actions and the consequences of them, perhaps that’s the point. Cleopatra Coleman also receives short shrift as James’ spouse Em. If she and their marriage had been properly fleshed out, watching James throw it all away would have held much more weight.

In fact, the whole thing is lighter than Cronenberg’s previous film, Possessor , in more ways than one — from the tone (there are several laugh-out-loud moments) to the intensity of theme, to the intricacy of the plot. The trippy sex scenes and experimental sequences that the director has proven himself a master of might not feel like a particular stretch, but they are effective in unsettling you, and transporting your brain to an altogether more fluid, fallible place.

The notion of watching yourself be murdered is a truly horrifying one, but Cronenberg’s script effortlessly dances between sinking into the psychological repercussions of such an experience, and finding the rip-roaringly entertaining spectacle in it. Like Gabi and her gang, it feels as though Cronenberg is simply in search of a good time. If you can handle the disturbing visuals, wild tonal shifts and endless bodily fluids, you’ll have one too.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Infinity Pool’ on Hulu, A Horrifying Satire of the Corrupt Rich for the Sickos Among Us

Where to stream:.

Infinity Pool
Brandon Cronenberg

‘Infinity Pool’ Ending Explained: What Does “White-Sand Brain Death” Mean?

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“Let me tell you about the very rich,” wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald a century ago, “They are different from you and me.” Portraits of the obscenely wealthy are nothing new in cinema, but they take an even more sinister bent than usual in Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool, now streaming on Hulu (in addition to VOD services like Amazon Prime Video ). Part sci-fi, part horror, wholly enthralling in its social commentary, this hallucinatory and harrowing film is by no means a wade into shallow waters.

INFINITY POOL : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Writer James Foster (Alexander Skarsgård) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are wrapping up their luxurious stay on the island of La Tolqa when they meet a fan of his novel, the fanciful Gabi (Mia Goth). Flattered by the attention and recognition, the couple spends some time with Gabi and her husband Alban (Jalil Lespert) exploring the island. On a drunken drive back to their hotel, James strikes and kills an island man with the car. Fearing the corruption of local police, the duo opts for a hit-and-run situation.

But the island has a … unique way of doling out justice that proves of a lesser worry than James feared. He can avoid the death penalty by forking over an exorbitant sum of money to have himself cloned and then letting the aggrieved party stab the double while he watches. While Em finds the sight of watching a facsimile of James die before her eyes, he finds it perversely exciting. James is not alone in this thrill, either. Gabi introduces him to a crew of wealthy tourists who convene on the island to commit crimes and then offshore the punishment to their clones. He’s quickly absorbed into their band of merry criminals yet slowly comes to the realization that perhaps this lifestyle is unsustainable.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The exotic resort vibes where the privileged learn their lessons – or don’t – give off big The White Lotus vibes. But the surrealistic turn the social commentary takes comes to resemble the savage satires of Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel or The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie . (A more modern comparison would be Yorgos Lanthimos – but the really weird early Greek stuff like Dogtooth .)

Performance Worth Watching: Building on her superb work in last year’s Pearl , Mia Goth once again lights up the screen in Infinity Pool as someone off their rocker in ways that slowly yet suddenly become clear. She’s building a reputation as one of our best scream queens with her devotion to any character’s eccentricities and taking the energy in any scene up to an 11.

Memorable Dialogue: “I’ll never know if I’m really myself for as long as I live,” speculates Dr. Bob Modan (John Ralston) to a room full of “zombies” as to whether the cloning process has killed the original version of themselves. When James gets further pressed as to whether he witnessed his own demise, he replies, “I can only hope.” It’s a scene chock full of both the thoughtfulness and hedonism of the ultra-rich that defines the film.

Sex and Skin: When a movie’s first adventure into the carnal side is showing the protagonist receiving a hand job and ejaculating, you know all bets are off. Infinity Pool is a bawdy bacchanalia with so many odd varieties and displays of sexuality that they read like items from a club frequented by SNL ’s Stefon. We’re talking hallucinatory orgies, breastfeeding, weird kinks – you name it, Infinity Pool probably has it in depraved droves. It’s genuinely shocking this film got released with an R-rating. (So, exercise caution if you’re watching this movie with someone. Make sure you’re really comfortable with them!)

Our Take: Amidst a wave of rather toothless satires lambasting the wealthy and privileged, it’s a treat to watch Brandon Cronenberg really go for it in Infinity Pool . It’s a vicious, nasty evisceration of a class of people who have found a way to indulge their darkest desires without facing consequences. With maximalist body horror and scintillating plot developments, Cronenberg crafts a movie that is as profane and gaudy as the rich people he portrays. It is absolutely not a movie for the faint at heart, but those who can stomach its trippy, terrifying turns should dive right into this pool. And don’t be afraid that it’s one of those movies where mind-bending sequences scramble meaning beyond recognition – Infinity Pool actually makes its message quite easy to grasp (in fact, maybe it’s a little too obvious at times?) without being overly simplistic or soapbox-y.

Our Call: STREAM IT! Only sickos ( ha ha ha … YES! ) need apply, but Infinity Pool is a creative and captivating take on both its subject and form. This takedown of people whose wealth insulates them from punishment is nuanced and nasty in all the right ways. Take a dip.

Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, Little White Lies and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers .

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Stream It Or Skip It
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Screen Rant

Infinity pool review: skarsgård & goth are intense in wild, empty horror [sundance].

It’s meant to shock & disgust, but while Infinity Pool starts off interestingly enough, its take on power, corruption, and privilege only goes so far.

Not every horror film has something thoughtful to say. Infinity Pool is one such film. Written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, Infinity Pool boasts enticing performances by Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård, but one can’t help but wonder about the film’s superficiality despite its off-the-wall depravity. It’s meant to shock and disgust — and it does — but while Infinity Pool starts off interestingly enough, its take on power, corruption, and privilege only goes so far.

James Foster (Skarsgård) is vacationing with his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) at a resort on the fictitious island of La Tolqa. James is a writer who hasn’t published in six years and is struggling to find inspiration on his trip. His marriage to Em, a publishing heiress who supports James financially, is not exactly happy, but everything changes when James meets Gabi ( Pearl and X star Mia Goth ), a self-proclaimed fan of his book, and her husband Alban (Jalil Lespert). The couple encourages James and Em to join them for a night outside the resort, despite the fact that they’re not allowed beyond its wired gates. When James hits one of the locals with his car, he must answer for his crimes — or, pay a sum to the police to clone him so that his double will die in his place. As one can imagine, things get all the more interesting after that.

Infinity Pool

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Infinity Pool is all about style over substance. Cronenberg doesn’t seem very invested in anything else. To be sure, the vibes are certainly there, and one can get onboard with the depraved characters, especially as everything gets all the more twisted over the course of the film. But there is also an emptiness to the story. The film asks intriguing questions, broaching themes of morality and wealth, as well as what it means when death and consequences are no longer an obstacle, but it’s hollow and limited in its scope. The intention is clear, the execution is underwhelming.

Perhaps the most engrossing aspect of the film is Skarsgård’s character , who can’t really seem to find his footing and sees himself as a failure. James carries himself in a way that asserts he feels small and weak. Joining Gabi’s group, the only people who understand what he’s going through, is a way for him to feel empowered — at least for a while. But once things get out of hand ( really wild and disturbing stuff happens on the island), James is back to feeling even worse about everything and himself.

However, Cronenberg is only half-interested in exploring James fully. Most of the characters are underdeveloped and underutilized. That said, Skarsgård and Goth give their all to their characters. They’re engaging and willing to lean into the wild and unexpected. Their performances are thrilling. Skarsgård doesn’t aim to charm, and he’s believable as a failed writer who questions his talent. Goth, meanwhile, continues to prove that she can easily shift between sweet and chaotic. She’s magnetic to watch.

The film is more intent on the body horror and debauchery of it all, not even taking the time to explore the fictitious island that serves as the story’s setting, leaving things vague enough so that the characters are free to do what they want. The film goes all out in other respects. There is gore, the violence takes on a disturbing sense of glee that makes Infinity Pool all the more unnerving to watch, and the body horror is intense. It’s like being on a roller coaster ride that veers off its track.

There is a certain thrill that runs through Infinity Pool , mainly because viewers will be wondering what weird, deranged thing will happen next. In that regard, the film succeeds despite being underwhelming elsewhere. Unfortunately, the story is messy and the lack of cohesion impacts its execution. It happily embraces its weirdness though, and if viewers are willing to go along for the ride, then it might prove to be somewhat engaging.

More: Past Lives Review: Celine Song's Debut Is Soulful, Tender, Devastating [Sundance]

Infinity Pool premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival January 21. The film is 117 minutes long and rated R for graphic violence, disturbing material, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and some language. It will be released in theaters Friday, January 27.

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Infinity pool, common sense media reviewers.

Surreal thriller has extremely graphic sex and violence.

Infinity Pool Movie Poster: Mia Goth looks at Alexander Skarsgard while both are half submerged in water

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Explores issues of masculinity, ego, and entitleme

No positive role models here, just wealthy tourist

James (Alexander Skarsgard, who is White) and Em F

Stabbings, shootings, and slit throats. Guns are u

Frequent full male and female nudity, often in sex

Insults, such as "loser," "idiot," "baby," and mor

Uber rich characters display excessive lifestyles

Frequent use of a fictional drug. Long scenes of t

Positive Messages

Explores issues of masculinity, ego, and entitlement that will undoubtedly spark conversation. Suggests that a lack of consequences for the wealthy perpetuates bad behavior. Also, beating yourself up for your perceived inadequacies doesn't solve your problems. But the biggest takeaway for young adult viewers may be to be wary of strangers when visiting a strange land.

Positive Role Models

No positive role models here, just wealthy tourists who lounge around an economically challenged island and disrespect the local government, attack and kill the native inhabitants, and use sacred resources for themselves.

Diverse Representations

James (Alexander Skarsgard, who is White) and Em Foster (Cleopatra Coleman, who is of Jamaican-Australian-Scottish descent) are in an interracial relationship. Em financially supports her husband. Wealthy tourists visiting a fictional tropical island disrespect the local government, attack and kill the native inhabitants (who are brown skinned), and use sacred resources for themselves.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Stabbings, shootings, and slit throats. Guns are used to intimidate and threaten. Brutal physical fight in which someone's face is punched until it's demolished. Graphically bloody wounds. Explicit violence captured in close-ups. Harsh bullying with coercion. Acts of humiliation. Child stabs someone multiple times. Person is struck by a vehicle. Physical harm, threats, and injury issues from the point of view of the attacker. Creepy masks. Deep peril. Nudity is sometimes used to degrade and humiliate characters.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Frequent full male and female nudity, often in sexual context. Orgy with naked characters engaged in various sex acts. Close-ups, some potentially disturbing, of genitalia and breasts. Couple having sex is interrupted and held captive while nude. Close-up of digits penetrating orifices. An adult breastfeeds. Note: The movie's original NC-17 cut also included a close-up scene of an erect penis ejaculating with hand stimulation, as well as additional graphic shots in the orgy scene.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Insults, such as "loser," "idiot," "baby," and more creative name-calling. "F--k" is said twice.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Uber rich characters display excessive lifestyles and the benefits that come with having money.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Frequent use of a fictional drug. Long scenes of the lead character hallucinating or acting wild and uninhibited while under the influence of a substance. Drinking. Cigar smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Infinity Pool is a surreal thriller with explicit, sometimes disturbing sexual imagery and graphic violence. Through wealthy, privileged main character James Foster ( Alexander Skarsgard ), writer-director Brandon Cronenberg explores issues of masculinity, ego, and entitlement. Violence is extremely gory and explicit, with executions, murders, and other deaths shown in close-up, sometimes until flesh pulls away from skin and blood is spurting and pouring out of bodies. Sexual content is also explicit, with frequent sexual nudity, an orgy scene, sex acts, and almost psychedelic close-ups of genitalia and bodily fluids. Coercion is a theme, and James' willingness to participate in increasingly unsettling acts of his new friends is definitely morally murky. In one scene, he's manually stimulated by a woman other than his wife without his consent (though he also doesn't object). There's also lots of substance use, including drinking, smoking, and a fictional hallucinogenic drug. Expect plenty of harsh, insulting, and bullying language, as well as a couple utterances of "f--k." Note: This review was based on the film's original NC-17 cut, which also included a close-up scene of an erect penis ejaculating, as well as additional graphic shots in the orgy scene. The film was re-edited slightly to earn an R rating ahead of its theatrical release. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Based on 5 parent reviews

Endless Torture

A boring, lame horror violence isn't as extreme as some people make it out to be, what's the story.

In INFINITY POOL, James ( Alexander Skarsgard ) and Em Foster ( Cleopatra Coleman ) are vacationing at a posh (and fictional) all-inclusive resort located on the island of La Tolqua. Despite orders to stay on the property, they explore away from the resort with a couple of charismatic guests ( Mia Goth , Thomas Kretschmann ). When a terrible accident occurs, James and Em become complicit in the local government's unusual method of serving justice without impeding tourism.

Is It Any Good?

Cronenberg's unsettling update on Lord Tennyson's poem "The Lotos-Eaters" will make you rethink international travel. As the film opens, wide shots of serene scenery turn upside down. That hints at what's about to happen to James Foster, but it's really more a message to viewers that their expectations of the moviegoing experience are about to be flipped. By making Infinity Pool so outrageous, Cronenberg offers searing commentary on, well, a lot, particularly when it comes to people who are very affluent. What's stimulating when a life has no rules, no consequences, and no challenges? The acts become more emboldened and deplorable, simultaneously shocking and desensitizing audiences. Cronenberg suggests that if someone's moral compass doesn't have a solid casing to hold it in place, it will spin out of control until it breaks. The film doesn't play by any rules itself, and, thanks to extraordinary performances from Skarsgard and Goth, it's likely to attract young adults. But with its intensely graphic violence and almost psychedelic sexual content, for viewers whose brains are still developing and are trying to understand the world around them, it falls into the category of "things you can't unsee no matter how hard you try."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the violence in Infinity Pool . Do you think the presentation serves the story, or could it have succeeded with less?

What does the cautionary term "slippery slope" mean, and how does it apply here? Is James a willing or unwilling participant? What are "coercion" and "consent," and how do you see those concepts demonstrated in the film?

Like The Menu , The White Lotus , and Triangle of Sadness , Infinity Pool satirizes the ultra rich. Why do you think this theme is popular? How does this film compare to the Lotus Eaters in Homer's The Odyssey and Lord Tennyson's poem?

Are rules with consequences necessary for people to act with morals? Why, or why not?

Discuss the use of sex and nudity in the film. Why do you think writer-director Brandon Cronenberg chose to depict sex the way he did? Do you think the psychotropic drug use was necessary to the storytelling? Is it glamorized?

Movie Details

In theaters : January 27, 2023
On DVD or streaming : April 11, 2023
Cast : Alexander Skarsgard , Mia Goth , Cleopatra Coleman
Director : Brandon Cronenberg
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors, Black actors
Studio : Neon
Genre : Thriller
Run time : 117 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : graphic violence, disturbing material, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and some language
Last updated : April 13, 2024

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Movie Review – Infinity Pool (2023)

August 28, 2023 by Shaun Munro

Infinity Pool, 2023.

Written and Directed by Brandon Cronenberg. Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, and Thomas Kretschmann.

James and Em Foster are enjoying an all-inclusive beach vacation in the fictional island of La Tolqa, when a fatal accident exposes the resort’s perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence, and surreal horrors.

Brandon Cronenberg goes three-for-three in the feature film stakes – albeit with some fair qualifications – with his new psychedelic horror romp Infinity Pool . While those bracing for a Crazy Time might ultimately be left feeling that Cronenberg cribbed a little eagerly from what worked so well in Possessor – namely plentiful cranial destruction and rampant issues of identity – its unapologetic messiness should nevertheless win it an easy cult of fans.

Novelist James Foster (Alexander Skarsgård) and his wealthy wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) jet off to an ill-inclusive holiday resort in the fictional nation of Li Tolqa, with the hope that it’ll remedy James’ overpowering writer’s block. At the fancy resort they soon enough meet Gabby (Mia Goth), a superfan of James’ work, and her partner Alban (Jalil Lespert), who invite the Fosters for dinner and drinks.

And so, the quartet ventures off the closely guarded compound against resort orders, resulting in a drunken car accident in which James fatally hits a local farmer. James is then arrested, and informed that while the penalty for his crime is death at the hands of the man’s family, a local tourism initiative allows him to offset the punishment by paying for an identical double of himself, complete with his own memories, to be killed instead. Oh, and James will have to watch “his” own execution too.

It’s certainly one hell of a delirious setup, and even if you somehow weren’t familiar with Cronenberg Jr. by this point, an opening line sets the bewildering tone quite perfectly, when Em asks James if he said in his sleep, “You can’t feed yourself with white-sand brain death.” Yup.

It admittedly takes a little while for Infinity Pool to build a full head of steam; there’s an energising spark just lacking in many establishing scenes, and it isn’t until act two, the concept firmly established, that it truly settles into a darkly funny groove. As with the director’s prior films, the satire doesn’t profess to be subtle, but at least finds a relatively unique angle with which to lampoon the rich and privileged.

Cronenberg aptly bottles the uncertainty of adjusting to the mores of an unfamiliar land, the inherent weirdness of siloing yourself in a resort for weeks, and how so many tourists are prone to othering the indigenous population. Moreover, the script bluntly thumbs its nose at cash-splashing tourists who believe that wealth gives them immunity and unlimited hospitality, while confessing the dehumanising nature of hedonism. After all, who among us hasn’t detached from ourselves even slightly while on holiday in an exotic locale? The allure of a foreign place can take you outside of yourself, and in the case of Li Tolqa, in more literal ways than you’d otherwise expect.

It’s probably unfair to namedrop the films which Infinity Pool shares most of its DNA with, but Cronenberg clearly relishes toying with the audience re: James and his fast-loosening grasp on who he is – perhaps one of the very most common themes in his father’s work also. Stir in an examination of the life-changing power of the sublime, the meaning of justice in a technologically advanced future, and meditations on the cathartic-if-troubling nature of violence, and you’ve got a sinewy stew cooking.

Sinewy being the operative word here, because true to the filmmaking family’s form it’s little surprise this was cut down from an NC-17 rating to an R. Without giving too much away, the opening act of the film features a close-up of a cumshot, and it only gets gooier from there. But it’s worth reiterating that for as violent and hypnotically surreal as the film often is, it doesn’t begin to touch the genuine visceral discomfort of Cronenberg’s previous work, as might disappoint some.

It’s not for lack of trying from the cast, though; Alexander Skarsgård is a hoot as basically our loser protagonist, while Mia Goth is having the time of her life as the disarmingly odd, intimidating-yet-sexy seductress Gabi. It’s only inevitable that so much of Goth’s posturing and mugging throughout the film will be immortalised in GIF form before long.

Thomas Kretschmann is also worth singling out for his brief but notable role as an amusingly severe police officer who occasionally crosses paths with James and company. Though never raising his voice, he tells the group at one point with an unnerving firmness, “Our country is not a playground for foreign children.”

It won’t surprise anyone that Brandon Cronenberg has produced another ultra-atmospheric, endlessly stylish work here, from making quasi-ironic use of the gorgeous sun-kissed Croatian and Hungarian shooting locations, to rendering the state’s prison facility as uninvitingly drab as possible.

Hallucinogenic neon abounds numerous times throughout, which while appealing to a point does feel perhaps a little too recycled from Possessor , as though it’s become something of an aesthetic crutch. Nevertheless, this is a handsomely mounted film courtesy of DP Karim Hussain, complete with perhaps the most hilariously deranged smash cut you’ll see all year, and Tim Hecker’s intense, booming electronic musical score serves as canny accompaniment.

By the time Infinity Pool gets deep into its third reel, the plate-spinning shell game of unreliable imagery starts feeling a bit tired, and though the ending ties its themes and character work together nicely, one can’t help but feel like it spent a bit too long running around in circles. At 117 minutes, another editorial pass which sheaved a flabby 15-or-so minutes away might’ve helped, yet it’s unlikely that any of Cronenberg’s fans will be deterred by some uneven pacing.

If pretty comfortably the weakest of Brandon Cronenberg’s three features to date, Infinity Pool still offers an enticingly twisted satire of holiday hedonism – despite itself being a work of overegged excess.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more film rambling.

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Infinity pool.

2023 Directed by Brandon Cronenberg

Find out what kind of a creature you really are.

While staying at an isolated island resort, James and Em are enjoying a perfect vacation of pristine beaches, exceptional staff, and soaking up the sun. But guided by the seductive and mysterious Gabi, they venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror.

Alexander Skarsgård Mia Goth Cleopatra Coleman Jalil Lespert Adam Boncz Amanda Brugel John Ralston Jeff Ricketts Caroline Boulton Thomas Kretschmann Roderick Hill Alan Katić Alexandra Tóth Dunja Sepčić Bogner Zijad Gračić Amar Bukvić Katalin Lábán Kamilla Fátyol Lena Juka Stambuk Kristóf Kovács Romina Tonković Hajnalka Zsigár Anita Major Gergely Trócsányi Géza Kovács

Director Director

Brandon Cronenberg

Producers Producers

Rob Cotterill Karen Harnisch Hengameh Panahi Andrew Cividino Daniel Kresmery Anita Juka Christina Piovesan Noah Segal Laura Sinovcic Yona Strauss Hayley Brown Jonathan Halperyn

Writer Writer

Casting casting.

Mark Bennett Ralph Berkin Lóránd Banner-Szûcs

Editor Editor

James Vandewater

Cinematography Cinematography

Karim Hussain

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Rob Cotterill Dominika Jurek Sven Madzarevic Bori Osi

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Jonathan Halperyn Alexander Skarsgård Michael Bloom Jeff Deutchman Ryan Heller Emily Kulasa Charlotte Mickie Maria Zuckerman Brandon Cronenberg Emily Thomas

Lighting Lighting

Slaven Spincic

Production Design Production Design

Zosia Mackenzie

Art Direction Art Direction

John O'Regan Clara Farkas

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Rita Hetényi

Special Effects Special Effects

Visual effects visual effects.

Andy Robinson

Stunts Stunts

Domonkos Párdányi Mark Slaughter Miklós Szentváry-Lukács

Composer Composer

Sound sound.

Alex Bullick Matthew Chan Craig MacLellan Jill Purdy Graham Rogers Jason Charbonneau Paul Gosse Justin Helle Rob Bertola

Costume Design Costume Design

Mária Fatér

Makeup Makeup

Svetlana Gutic Mihály Orsolya Éva Szilvia Homolya Rita Balla Dan Martin

Topic Studios Elevation Pictures Film Forge Productions Hero Squared Celluloid Dreams NEON Téléfilm Canada Eurimages

Canada France Hungary USA

Releases by Date

21 jan 2023, 22 feb 2023, 10 mar 2023, 30 jun 2023, 16 nov 2023, 27 jan 2023, 02 feb 2023, 24 mar 2023, 30 mar 2023, 20 apr 2023, 11 may 2023, 14 feb 2023, 28 feb 2023, 13 jul 2023, 15 jul 2023, 06 nov 2023, releases by country.

Theatrical R 18+
Theatrical 18A
Digital 18 VOD
Premiere Berlin International Film Festival
Theatrical 18
Physical 18
Theatrical C
Premiere 18 Kosmorama Trondheim Internasjonale Filmfestival

Puerto Rico

Theatrical R

South Korea

Premiere 18 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Theatrical 15
Premiere Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
Premiere Sundance Film Festival
Digital NR NEON Cinema

118 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

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There are moments, early on, in Infinity Pool where the score (brilliantly written by Tim Hecker) shifts into these discordant, disturbing notes while the camera pans across these beautiful locations along the beach and vacation paradise of the fictional state of Li Tolqa and your stomach turns and your skins prickles because you know something isn’t right here.

But you don’t have to wait long to find out what’s wrong. And once things take a turn, they continue their downward spiral as you rush, breathless and dizzy to the conclusion.

Infinity Pool follows a married couple—James and Em Foster (played by Alexander Skarsgard and Cleopatra Coleman)—as they travel to a tropical resort set inside an impoverished foreign country. James is a writer who has struggled to write a second novel after the failure of his first six years previous. He hopes this trip will reinvigorate his creativity, maybe his marriage and possibly his self. Once there, they meet another couple who come over uncomfortably strong and friendly. After spending the evening with them, they convince the Fosters to sneak out of the compound the next day and travel the countryside. Putting aside better judgment, they agree. After a day of eating and drinking (amongst other things) on the beach, they drive home in the dark.

And things go wrong.

Without spoiling anything further in the movie, they come in contact with the justice system on the island—where things are very Old Testament. But the tourism board has implemented a policy that allows rich tourists to substitute punishment directly in favor of a by proxy punishment. And that lack of accountability and consequence spirals the movie out of control.

Penduluming between scenic views and lush landscapes to hypnotic, colorful, drug-fueled trips at a faster and faster pace, Infinity Pool is hypnotic and unsettling. The film constantly pushes the boundaries of excess and content and sanity, while managing to walk the fine line between horror and exploitation. There were quite a few parts where I steeled myself for a turn too far that disconnected me from the movie, but they never came. In fact, each turn and twist and boundary pushed, drew me further into the movie.

Brandon Cronenberg returns to the Sundance Film Festival after bringing 2020’s Possessor to the festival. There’s an incredible confidence and control that he brings with his directing to Infinity Pool . Everything feels precise and measured in a way that elicits brilliance instead of sterility. He moves the camera carefully through the scenes, ratcheting up anxiety and tension even in the most common of scenes.

The cast does an incredible job but Mia Goth’s performance is a stand out. Really taking the horror world by storm with X and Pearl in the last year, Goth’s unusual look and incredible presence mesmerize you in this film. She, like the film, moves from sexy and alluring to unhinged and terrifying as time goes on. Like James Foster, we fall under her spell early on and find ourselves mired in extremity before we realize it.

As the film progresses, characters adorn themselves in horrific masks worn by the resort’s local band. They use these masks to hide their identities as they indulge their passions and impulses—using the local customs and traditions to hide their true intentions and feel like it’s a persona they’re wearing. In the film’s most haunting visual sequence, Cronenberg plays with the idea that the masks aren’t superficial, but bone deep. That as we enforce the idea that the rich have no consequences for their actions, we create the monsters that terrorize us.

Basically, Infinity Pool is the best season of White Lotus yet.

And while the ultimate end of the film feels perhaps too clean and safe for the unhinged and harrowing rest of the film, it still leaves us in a place of deep dread, uncertainty and hypnotic confusion. This is the film I’ll be talking about for a long time from the festival.

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Infinity Pool Is the Most Messed-Up Horror Movie of 2023

By Taylor Antrim

Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgärd in Infinity Pool opening in theaters January 27th.

The beginning of Brandon Cronenberg’s fever dream of a horror film, Infinity Pool , made me think of J.G. Ballard, of Joan Didion, of Denis Johnson—high-minded literary references that won’t quite prepare you for the phantasmagoria that’s coming. We’re in a remote island nation, at a tightly guarded luxury resort, where a rich tourist couple—gorgeous, restless—are on holiday. There’s an air of menace in the empty streets in town, signs of unrest kept barely at bay. Alexander Skarsgärd is James, a novelist with a generous wife, Em (Cleopatra Coleman), who is happy to keep him in expensive shirts while he seeks inspiration for a second book. They’re bored near the end of their holiday when another guest—the fetching, wide-eyed Gabi, played by Mia Goth (who is now stealing every horror film she’s in)—lavishes James with praise, declaring that she loved his first novel and where’s the second? She and her slightly louche husband, Alban (Jalil Lespert), invite James and Em to dinner and then to a secluded beach outside the gates of the resort. This sequence is superb, drenched in sun, full of foreboding.

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But God—prepare to cover your eyes. Cronenberg is the son of the auteur David Cronenberg, who made his name with outré body horror in films like Scanners , The Fly , and Crash , and there’s a dose of nepo-baby self-awareness and even one-upsmanship in what Brandon puts on screen here. A close-up hand job on that beach is just the first thing you’re treated to and strikes me as rather quaint in retrospect. On the drive back to the resort, James hits and kills a local man with Alban’s car, and when the couples try to cover up the accident, the police arrest Skarsgärd and his wife. The hunky Swedish actor is great through all of this—horrified and panicked and all too ready to pay the police off when they offer him an out: For a stack of cash, they will clone him and let him observe his doppelgänger’s execution.

Movies like this have to build trust, and Infinity Pool , as it swerves into sci-fi and psychedelic drug tripping and orgies and viscera, does so expertly. The visuals are crisp, and the momentum of the story holds you as it takes you down its dark roads. There are ideas too: about moral impunity and colonization and the doubling of the self and, well, mommy issues? I will admit that there are a couple of moments that I could not watch, gruesome shocks that may be calculated to lure you to a theater to submit to them.

The whole thing is uncompromising and indelible: the sight of wealthy tourists wearing grotesque masks (traditional in the island’s culture) clings to you as a portrait of moral deprivation of a global elite. Goth taunting Skarsgärd with a handgun—unmoored and unhinged, delivering her lines with bloodlust—is a brightly lit nightmare. I stand by those literary references—though Ballard, who wrote better than anyone about moral decline, is the real touchstone here. (And Cronenberg is already adapting the late English author’s novel Super-Cannes as a TV series. I’m here for it.) I won’t forget Infinity Pool , even though I closed my eyes through a lot of it.

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Written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg , Infinity Pool is a science fiction horror film that follows a married couple, played by Alexander Skarsgård ( Succession ) and Cleopatra Coleman ( Dopesick ), who are on a relaxing beach vacation that turns unexpectedly vicious after an accident reveals the surreal subculture hiding just beneath the surface at their resort.

A horrifying deep dive into gore, morality, and hedonism, Infinity Pool premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and received generally positive reviews on its release. Co-starring Mia Goth and Jalil Lespert , the film swims within the brutal underworld of graphic violence and perversion, resulting in shocking scenes captured eloquently by Cronenberg. Infinity Pool , although undeniably a gruesome horror film, sets itself apart with unique and imaginative visuals.

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Cast Jay Ali, Melora Hardin, Saul Rubinek, Dianna Agron

Runtime 91 minutes

Clock is a meditation on the pressures women face around reproduction, joining the ranks of modern elevated psychological horror films like Men , Midsommar , and Hereditary that explore deep themes through the prism of horror. Written and directed by Alexis Jacknow ( Love Daily ), this science fiction horror story centers around Ella ( Dianna Agron ), a woman in her late thirties who faces constant pressure to have children despite not wanting any. She gets coerced into joining an experimental program meant to “fix her biological clock” that seemingly drives her to madness.

Despite some criticism for its execution, Clock received mostly favorable reviews from critics. Its visceral storytelling, combined with its deep psychological themes, make for a thought-provoking watch. The film has a lot to say about its themes and perfectly uses the thriller medium to manifest and physicalize the internal struggles that women deal with daily.

'Fresh' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 81% | imdb: 6.7/10.

After quitting dating apps, a woman meets the supposedly perfect man and accepts his invitation to a romantic weekend getaway, only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites.

Director Mimi Cave

Release Date March 4, 2022

Cast Jojo T. Gibbs, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Andrea Bang

Fresh is a horror thriller with a “fresh” take on the perils and horrors of modern dating that artfully balances empowerment and uneasiness. Just as she’s sworn off dating, Noa ( Daisy Edgar-Jones ) meets Steve ( Sebastian Stan ). He’s kind, charming, and just what she’s been looking for in a partner. That is until she discovers his secret side hustle as a cannibal who traps women and sells their body parts to an elite clientele. Noa then has to figure out how to avoid being eaten herself, even if that means playing along with Steve’s continued, morbid sense of affection for her. Written by Lauryn Kahn , Fresh is the feature debut of director Mimi Cave .

The movie had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and received positive reviews from critics. Despite its gruesome premise, Fresh is more unsettling than outright gory when it comes to its depiction of cannibalism. That said, it does still find ways to make even the strongest stomach turn a bit. If you’re squeamish, it’s probably best if you don’t eat while you watch.

'Matriarch' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 85% | imdb: 4.6/10.

Director Ben Steiner

Release Date October 21, 2022

Cast Nick Haverson, Simon Meacock, Jemima Rooper, Kate Dickie

Genres Horror

Written and directed by Ben Steiner , Matriarch is a simmering slow-burn thriller that follows a woman ( Jemima Rooper ) who, after surviving an overdose, visits her childhood home to confront her demons. Co-starring Game of Thrones alum Kate Dickie , with Sarah Paul and Franc Ashman , Matriarch is a haunting exploration of addiction and generational trauma through eerie circumstances and frightful imagery that’s sure to make viewers squirm.

A story that’s more than meets the eye, Matriarch is a disturbing horror film intended to bring discomfort to the audience. The film received favorable reviews from critics upon its release, with some comparing it to the work of David Cronenberg . It’s a dark and atmospheric movie that presents an interesting narrative, even if it takes some time to get going.

'Intrigo: Dear Agnes' (2019)

Imdb: 5.2/10, intrigo: dear agnes.

Director Daniel Alfredson

Release Date October 10, 2019

Cast Cal Macaninch, Gemma Chan, Carla Juri, Jamie Sives

Genres Drama, Mystery, Crime

Starring Gemma Chan ( Eternals ), Intrigo: Dear Agnes is a gripping sequel to the 2018 film Intrigo: Death of an Author . Directed by Daniel Alfredson , the film follows a young widow named Agnes ( Carla Juri ), who is offered a shocking proposition. Agnes’ wealthy friend (Chan) has a cheating husband ( Jamie Sives ) she’s eager to get rid of, and she wants to hire Agnes to murder him.

Intrigo: Dear Agnes isn’t an out-and-out horror movie, but its story does have the hallmarks of old-school suspense horrors. A crime drama thriller with a chilling premise, Intrigo: Dear Agnes is a murder mystery with a slow burn and a shocking twist. While the film wasn’t a big hit with critics, its tense tale makes for an engrossing watch.

'Hatching' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 93% | imdb: 6.2/10.

Director Hanna Bergholm

Cast Jani Volanen, Sophia Heikkil, Reino Nordin, Siiri Solalinna

Genres Drama, Horror, Fantasy

Hatching is a Finnish psychological horror film by director Hanna Bergholm , who also created the story on which Ilja Rautsi ’s screenplay is based. The movie follows the desperation of a sweet and fragile 12-year-old gymnast named Tinja ( Siiri Solalinna ) as she struggles to satisfy her malcontent image-obsessed mother ( Sophia Heikkilä ). Swinging between family lifestyle vlogging, gymnastics training, and exploring the woods, Tinja finds it impossible to overcome the burden of her mother’s expectations. After she finds a strange egg and brings it home, the creature that hatches from it forms an intricate bond with Tinja and begins to act upon her repressed emotions.

The film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix and received critical acclaim. With a story about societal pressures and unrealistic beauty standards, Hatching reveals an insufferable reality twisted by the introduction of a creature with the capability to free Tinja or destroy her.

'Funhouse' (2021)

Release Date May 28, 2021

Director Jason William Lee

Cast Amanda Howells, Karolina Benefield, Christopher Gerard, Khamisa Wilsher, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Valter Skarsgrd

Runtime 106 minutes

Genres Comedy, Horror

Funhouse is a satirical horror film revolving around a Big Brother - style reality show where contestants are brutally killed off as they’re eliminated. Featuring performances from Valter Skarsgård and Khamisa Wilsher ( Charmed ) and bursting with gore, Funhouse shares similarities to movies like Truth or Dare and the Saw franchise. The film was written and directed by Jason William Lee , who also appears in the movie.

While it’s an intriguing commentary on societal obsession with fame and voyeurism, the critical response to Funhouse was spectacularly terrible. That’s a shame because, while it falls short of its own potential, Lee’s script presents an entertaining blend of horror and social satire that builds to a graphically The Purge -like culmination of terror and body parts.

'Hellraiser' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 67% | imdb: 5.9/10.

Release Date October 7, 2022

Director David Bruckner

Cast Odessa Azion, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Jamie Clayton

Runtime 121 minutes

Hellraiser is director David Bruckner ’s new perspective on Clive Barker ’s horror classic. The film is centered on an addict named Riley ( Odessa A’zion ) as she searches for her missing brother ( Kit Clarke ), ultimately becoming consumed by the ancient and enigmatic puzzle that may be responsible for his vanishment. This reboot film was scripted by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski and based on a story co-written by David S. Goyer ( The Unborn ).

The eleventh installment in the franchise and a modern remake of the original, Hellraiser builds a deep and intricate mythology around the puzzle box, the Cenobites, and the unforgettable horror icon Pinhead ( Jamie Clayton ). Featuring dark and gory imagery, terrifyingly creative torment, and a fun performance from Goran Visnjic ( Timeless ), Hellraiser is an exciting new chapter for fans of the original franchise. The film received generally positive reviews from both critics and audiences, becoming one of the most streamed films in the US in the week of its release.

'Bad Hair' (2020)

Rotten tomatoes: 63% | imdb: 5.6/10.

Release Date October 23, 2020

Director Justin Simien

Cast Moses Storm, Vanessa Williams, Elle Lorraine, Lena Waithe, Jay Pharoah, James Van Der Beek

From writer/director Justin Simien ( Dear White People ), Bad Hair is a clever horror satire film set in the late 1980s that explores cultural discrimination through the lens of ironic horror. The movie follows the journey of Anna Bludso ( Elle Lorraine ), an ambitious woman trying to make a career in the world of music television. Starring the likes of Jay Pharoah , Laverne Cox , Chanté Adams , and Blair Underwood , Bad Hair takes full advantage of its setting, infusing the cast with recognizable faces like Lena Waithe ( Westworld ), Vanessa Williams ( Ugly Betty ) and James Van Der Beek , as well as peppering in celebrity musicians like Kelly Rowland and Usher .

Bad Hair premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and received mostly favorable reviews. While the film’s execution has been criticized, its setting and themes tell an interesting and funny story that’s anchored by the performances of its cast. Take a chance with Bad Hair — you may just enjoy it more than you expect.

'Prey' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 94% | imdb: 7.1/10.

Naru, a skilled warrior of the Comanche Nation, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth.

Release Date August 5, 2022

Director Dan Trachtenberg

Cast Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, Dakota Beavers, Amber Midthunder

Runtime 100 minutes

Genres Sci-Fi, Action, Horror

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg ( 10 Cloverfield Lane ), Prey is the latest addition to the Predator franchise. The film is a prequel that takes audiences back in time with an origin story set in the Comanche Nation, where a warrior battles a new enemy. Naru, played perfectly by Amber Midthunder ( Legion ), is skilled and fierce as she goes up against the first Predator to land on planet Earth.

Almost universally acclaimed by critics and fans of the franchise, Prey provides an enthralling backstory to an already beloved and established IP while also highlighting previously unexplored history for both the monster and its victims. If there’s one thing to criticize about the experience of watching this Hulu original film, it’s that it really ought to have been released theatrically rather than on streaming. With a marvelous cast and fast-paced action, Prey is an adventure that deserves to be seen, regardless of screen size.

'Shadow in the Cloud' (2021)

Rotten tomatoes: 77% | imdb: 5.0/10, shadow in the cloud.

Release Date January 1, 2021

Director Roseanne Liang

Cast Benedict Wall, Chloe Moretz, Callan Mulvey, Beulah Koale, Taylor John Smith, Nick Robinson

Runtime 83 minutes

Genres Action, War, Horror

Directed and co-written by Roseanne Liang ( My Wedding and Other Secrets ), Shadow in the Cloud is a delightfully thrilling World War II movie with a horror twist. Set in 1943, the film follows the young female Flying Officer Maude Garrett ( Chloe Grace Moretz ), who brings an enigmatic package onto a B-17 bomber. The sexist crew traps her in the lower gunning deck, which is bad enough, but Maude is soon forced to deal with even greater problems when an alien monster attaches itself to the plane.

A totally bonkers science-fiction thriller with a healthy dose of action, Shadow in the Cloud is an underrated female-centric sci-fi horror film. The movie premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, winning the People's Choice Award for Midnight Madness and receiving favorable reviews from critics. If you’d like to see Moretz kick the crap out of monsters and obnoxious dudebros, climb aboard Shadow in the Cloud for all that and more.

'False Positive' (2021)

Rotten tomatoes: 47% | imdb: 4.7/10, false positive.

Release Date June 25, 2021

Director John Lee

Cast Justin Theroux, Ilana Glazer, Josh Hamilton, Sophia Bush, Pierce Brosnan, Gretchen Mol

Runtime 92 minutes

False Positive is a horror mystery film that presents a feminist take on the terrors of pregnancy and motherhood. The movie is directed by John Lee , who also co-wrote False Positive with the film’s star, Ilana Glazer . After two years of trying to get pregnant, Lucy (Glazer) and her husband Adrian ( Justin Theroux ) make an appointment with Dr. Hindle ( Pierce Brosnan ), the leading fertility doctor in New York and Adrian’s former teacher. Dr. Hindle’s treatment works, and Lucy becomes pregnant with triplets. Unfortunately, in order to ensure that the pregnancy remains viable and Lucy’s health remains uncompromised, Dr. Hindle suggests a selective reduction where they keep either the female embryo or the twin male embryos. After this procedure, Lucy starts to feel uneasy and paranoid about the pregnancy. She believes that Dr. Hindle and Adrian are conspiring against her and will do whatever it takes to prove it — even if everyone around her dismisses her concerns as “pregnancy brain.”

The film’s critical reception was largely negative, but its uneasy, paranoid narrative makes for a rather fascinating watch. Lucy’s story and Glazer’s performance successfully blur the lines of reality, slowly building tension until the shocking climax, which will leave you questioning everything except for a mother’s intuition.

'Titane' (2021)

Rotten tomatoes: 90% | imdb: 6.5/10.

Release Date October 1, 2021

Director Julia Ducournau

Cast Myriem Akeddiou, Dominique Frot, Las Salameh, Garance Marillier, Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon

Runtime 108 minutes

Genres Drama, Sci-Fi, Horror

A film that defies genre classification, Julia Ducournau ’s Titane is a truly one-of-a-kind experience that deserves to be seen with as little information as possible. What can be said is that it centers on Agathe Rousselle ’s Alexia, a woman who was seriously injured in a car accident as a child and now has a titanium plate in her head. Following an intimate experience with a car and a series of brutal killings, she begins to form a bond with a man while posing as his son.

Titane premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, where it won widespread critical acclaim and bagged the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest prize. An ultimately sweet story about family and identity that also wears the skin of body horror, Titane is a wholly original vision with a committed cast who helps bring Ducournau’s world to hyperreal life. If you’ve seen her previous film, the also outstanding Raw , then you may have some idea of what you’re getting into, even as Titane goes in its own incredibly unique direction. The movie is silly, graphic, dark, and eventually loving in a way that no other film out there can hold a candle to.

'Run' (2020)

Rotten tomatoes: 89% | imdb: 6.7/10.

Release Date November 20, 2020

Director Aneesh Chaganty

Cast Sara Sohn, Kiera Allen, Sarah Paulson, Pat Healy

Runtime 90 minutes

Genres Mystery, Thriller

The Misery -esque horror movie Run follows the insulated upbringing of Chloe ( Kiera Allen ), a homeschooled high school senior who’s eager to go away to college and live her life to the fullest. She’s raised by her schedule-oriented mother ( Sarah Paulson ), who’s overly protective and concerned for her daughter’s future in the real world. The more Chloe plans her adult life, the more she starts to realize that her mother might be hiding a very sinister secret. The movie was directed by Aneesh Chaganty , who also co-wrote the script with Sev Ohanian . The duo’s resume also includes the fantastic Searching (2018) and Missing (2023).

Run was positively received by critics, who lauded its tense storytelling and brilliant performances. The movie made waves online when it was released and drew a very large audience, becoming Hulu’s most-watched original film up to that point.

The 21 Best Horror Movies on Hulu Right Now (April 2024)

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Infinity Pool movie review & film summary (2023)
Infinity Pool (2023)
Infinity Pool (2023)
Infinity Pool (2023) Movie Review
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Sundance 2023 Q&A: ‘Infinity Pool’ director, actors reflect on film’s commentary on human nature

COMMENTS

Infinity Pool movie review & film summary (2023)
I wish the film had a sharper POV and came together in the end with a more coherent message. However, even when "Infinity Pool" is just playfully experimenting with chaos, it's confidently made and compelling. It helps to have committed performers who are all in on Cronenberg's vision, especially a physically demanding performance by Skarsgard ...
Infinity Pool
Jan 2, 2024. Rated: 2.5/5 • Dec 28, 2023. While staying at an isolated island resort, James (Alexander Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are enjoying a perfect vacation of pristine beaches ...
Infinity Pool review
Sun 26 Mar 2023 03.00 EDT Share E arlier this month saw the UK release of Pearl , a prequel to Ti West's retro-horror X , starring and co-written by the extraordinary Mia Goth .
Infinity Pool (2023)
Infinity Pool: Directed by Brandon Cronenberg. With Cleopatra Coleman, Alexander Skarsgård, Dunja Sepcic, Adam Boncz. James and Em Foster are enjoying an all-inclusive beach vacation in the fictional island of La Tolqa, when a fatal accident exposes the resort's perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence and surreal horrors.
'Infinity Pool' Review: Body Trouble
For several seconds at the beginning of Brandon Cronenberg's third feature, "Infinity Pool," there is nothing but a blank screen and a woman's whispered question. The woman is Em Foster ...
Infinity Pool review
Infinity Pool review - a holiday turns hellish in full-on thriller. Sundance film festival: Brandon Cronenberg continues following in his father David's footsteps with a violent eye-opener ...
Infinity Pool
Infinity Pool's a vulgar, darkly humorous, incisive commentary on privilege, debauchery, enticement, and the destruction of soul. Full Review | Original Score: 7.8/10 | Aug 4, 2023
Infinity Pool review
It's a movie straining for more than it's achieving, moment by moment, but Goth's toxic energy always holds the attention. Infinity Pool is released on 24 March in UK and Irish cinemas ...
'Infinity Pool' Review: Brandon Cronenberg Goes off the Deep End
Editor: James Vandewater. Music: Tim Hecker. With: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalis Lespert, Amanda Brugel, John Ralston, Jeffrey Ricketts, Caroline Boulton, Thomas ...
Infinity Pool review: sex, blood, and a brutal take on ugly Americans
This review was originally published in conjunction with Infinity Pool's premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.It has been updated for the movie's streaming release. Infinity Pool is the ...
Infinity Pool review: a surreal and chaotic descent into depravity
Movie Review; Infinity Pool is a surreal and chaotic descent into depravity. ... This review is based on a screening at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Infinity Pool is in theaters on January 27th.
Infinity Pool (2023)
Permalink. 7/10. Sick, Twisted, and Fun! demonblade-37792 27 January 2023. Infinity Pool is a good horror film filled with good acting, murders, and the story. The story with it being that a rich couple named James (Alexander Skarsgard) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are vacationing in a resort, but in a foreign country.
Infinity Pool Review and Ending Explained
Directed by Brandon Cronenberg, we review the 2023 horror film Infinity Pool, which does not contain spoilers. Join the Ready Steady Cut Newsletter. Menu ... Infinity Pool is a good movie. Goth and Skarsgard elevate this twisted, crazy, weird ride that I liked quite a bit. That said, unless you are familiar with Cronenberg's work and how ...
Infinity Pool Review
Published on 20 03 2023. Original Title: Infinity Pool. The idea that 'rich people are bad, actually' gets a simmering, stomach-churning spin in this new horror -thriller from writer-director ...
Infinity Pool (film)
Infinity Pool is a 2023 science fiction horror film written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, and starring Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, and Cleopatra Coleman.The film follows a struggling writer and his wife on vacation who, after an accident, discover the country's dark culture. Cronenberg started developing the project in 2019, with production later being pushed back to 2021.
'Infinity Pool' Hulu Movie Review: Stream It or Skip It?
Cronenberg crafts a movie that is as profane and gaudy as the rich people he portrays. ... 2023, 1:40 p.m. ET. ... Infinity Pool is a bawdy bacchanalia with so many odd varieties and displays of ...
Infinity Pool Review: Skarsgård & Goth Are Intense In Wild, Empty
More: Past Lives Review: Celine Song's Debut Is Soulful, Tender, Devastating [Sundance] Infinity Pool premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival January 21. The film is 117 minutes long and rated R for graphic violence, disturbing material, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and some language.
Infinity Pool
While staying at an isolated island resort, James (Alexander Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are enjoying a perfect vacation of pristine beaches, exceptional staff, and soaking up the sun. But guided by the seductive and mysterious Gabi (Mia Goth), they venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror. A tragic ...
Infinity Pool Movie Review
Long scenes of t. Parents Need to Know. Parents need to know that Infinity Pool is a surreal thriller with explicit, sometimes disturbing sexual imagery and graphic violence. Through wealthy, privileged main character James Foster (Alexander Skarsgard), writer-director Brandon Cronenberg explores issues of masculinity, ego, and entitlement….
Infinity Pool (2023)
Infinity Pool, 2023. Written and Directed by Brandon Cronenberg. Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Thomas Kretschmann, Amanda Brugel, John Ralston, Caroline Boulton, Jeff ...
Infinity Pool (2023)
Infinity Pool, 2023. Written and Directed by Brandon Cronenberg. Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, and Thomas Kretschmann. SYNOPSIS: James and Em Foster are enjoying an ...
‎Infinity Pool (2023) directed by Brandon Cronenberg • Reviews, film
While staying at an isolated island resort, James and Em are enjoying a perfect vacation of pristine beaches, exceptional staff, and soaking up the sun. But guided by the seductive and mysterious Gabi, they venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror. Remove Ads. Cast. Crew.
Sundance 2023 Film Review: Infinity Pool • Salt Lake Magazine V2
In fact, each turn and twist and boundary pushed, drew me further into the movie. Brandon Cronenberg returns to the Sundance Film Festival after bringing 2020's Possessor to the festival. There's an incredible confidence and control that he brings with his directing to Infinity Pool. Everything feels precise and measured in a way that ...
Infinity Pool Is the Most Messed-Up Horror Movie of 2023
Is the Most Messed-Up Horror Movie of 2023. Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgärd in Infinity Pool, opening in theaters January 27th. Photo: Courtesy of Neon. The beginning of Brandon Cronenberg's ...
The 21 Best Horror Movies on Hulu Right Now (April 2024)
A horrifying deep dive into gore, morality, and hedonism, Infinity Pool premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and received generally positive reviews on its release.

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Reviewed at Sundance Film Festival (Midnight), Jan. 22, 2023. MPA Rating: R. Running time: 118 MIN.

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