With spinning cinematography and flashing lights that seemingly cover the full-color spectrum, Infinity Pool is a literally dizzying cinematic experience that further twirls your brain around with an orgy (and actual orgies) of graphic content on its way to driving home its commentary. With intense and gratuitous depictions of violence and sex – but it’s all in service of effectively raising stakes and making its point. All of the outrageousnesses is counterbalanced by the monstrous flippancy demonstrated by the characters, and it sharpens the overall satire.
Some are not going to be able to stomach it. If you couldn’t handle the overload of bodily fluids in Triangle of Sadness or the menacing glee of Art The Clown in Terrifier, or if the name "Cronenberg" is unfamiliar to you, then you’re definitely not going to handle what Infinity Pool has to offer. If, however, you are like me and experienced the extremes of those films with a giddy smile and an appreciation for the expressed sentiments, Brandon Cronenberg has served up an early-in-the-year treat for us that are fans of the ultra-violence.
Such an endeavor requires bold actors. Brandon Cronenberg found a tremendous pair in Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth: two stars well-versed in cinematic sex and violence who make for a seductive and poisonous couple in Infinity Pool. Their chemistry together is successfully electric and dangerous, as Gabi lures James into an unimaginably dark world, and Skarsgård and Goth’s performances only become more impressive as the story plays out.
There is an under-the-surface darkness to James that we can see at the outset of the film, and Skarsgård both exposes it and cultivates it in brilliant ways over the course of the character’s arc – primarily through action and emotion over literal expression. The shifting balance of reserved and excitement in him is a treat to watch, and it leads to a conclusion that is precisely where the protagonist needs to be left.
Gabi also smells of trouble from the outset, and she doesn’t take long to prove that read correct – but Mia Goth’s job past the film’s setup is hooking James on a leash and luring him into a mysterious and mad new world, and her turn is extraordinary. Saying too much would ruin the fun of seeing the performance evolve, but the legion of horror fans that Goth earned as lauding devotees in 2022 with X and Pearl (raises hand) will love every minute of her work here.
Brandon Cronenberg continues his streak of crafting visually arresting works that shock and stun, and I'm sure his father couldn't be more proud. Like with swimming in the dead of winter, you have to brace for it, but it’s definitely quite the experience when you dive in. Watch this somewhere in my top 10 come the end of the year.
9/10