It almost seems like another lifetime ago since we watched director David Cronenberg engage audiences with his signature body horror films. Cronenberg returns with Crimes of the Future, a deep and dark dive into a world where the human body is truly evolving, and of course, humans are trying to control this due to their fear of the unknown.
Humans’ natural pushback against things they don’t understand is in full view here, a world where we see humans sprouting new organs and pain has become non-existent. This, of course, leads to the rise of an underground of sorts, where people rebel against curbing what they see as the natural evolution of the species. Existing in between these two dueling ideologies is Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), a celebrity performance artist who, with the help of his assistant/partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), conducts live operations for the public to watch, removing those new organs that are constantly growing inside of him. In a world that has given birth to a myriad of body modification performers, Saul stands above them all.
Crimes of the Future is unsurprisingly filled with odd people and strange performances, and we meet two people who fit that description perfectly in Wippett (Don McKellar) and Timlin (Kristen Stewart), agents from the National Organ Registry, both of whom quickly become enthralled with the world of performing surgery for different reasons. Even though all signs point to “surgery is the new sex,” there is some definite sexual tension throughout the film, old school tension, and it’s quite enjoyable to see people intimately fumble as we have for so long in the real world.
An anarchist named Lang (Scott Speedman) brings a plot arc to the film that ties many things together and helps Cronenberg make this film more than fan service or a collection of his greatest hits. Helping Cronenberg along the way is an excellent score by Howard Shore. He blends the creepy, powerful throbbing of pain and mystery with wonderful moments of minimal music or absolute silence. Crimes of the Future also looks great, with cinematographer Douglas Koch making the film dark yet moody in texture, which works well with the movie’s overall theme.
However, there are moments when Crimes of the Future stumbles a bit, where certain scenes feel like pieces of a puzzle that don’t fit together well. It is a bit distracting at times, but overall, most of the film’s plot and pacing make it a slow but steady trip through a world that is more disturbing in the truths it shares about humans and where we are going as a species.
There are scenes in the film that will make some squeamish for a variety of reasons, but it’s not just about pushing visual boundaries here. There is a message, a story, and ultimately, a warning. Change is coming, evolution is coming, and the only thing standing in the way of our inevitable change is our love of the flesh, how things are, and the fear of the unknown.
