Vivarium (2019): Underrated and Undersold (SPOILER ALERT)

Let me begin by saying that Vivarium was dealt one of the unluckiest hands in Film history. With an estimated budget of 4 million dollars, and grossing less than half a million worldwide, it flopped about as hard as a movie can financially. Coronavirus reaching a tipping point in the United States days before its release certainly put this movie on a path of untimely demise. I am a fan of horror and I had never even heard of it until a friend suggested it. It is frankly shocking to have A list celebrities like Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Zombieland, Now You See Me) and Imogen Poots (The Art of Self Defense, Jane Eyre, Chatroom) be so thoroughly ignored by mainstream media and horror fans alike. This on top of the 5.8 star rating it has on IMDb took me by surprise.

With this personal footnote out of the way, I can begin my review.

There were certain elements of this film that had me rolling my eyes. The setup to the plot was a bit trite, and the events leading into the main conflict were derivative of many major horror releases. They leaned into the classic trope of "Oh no! we're trapped in a maze and we're all turned around! haven't we been here before? none of this makes sense!" The big strong male lead has to take his turn driving to feel like he has value, and arguments ensue. This trope of being "lost in the woods" has been executed since the dawn of horror cinema. While I would like to roast this usage further, this film did a new take on this trope, and incorporated not only the dread of being lost, but also being lost in a housing development resembling something out from Humberfloob Real Estate (Cat In The Hat fans? anyone?).

Though the introduction of the movie seemed derivative I pressed on and continued watching, and to my surprise this movie created a mysterious and cosmic lore all to itself. By exaggerating and contorting modern Suburbia, it is able to display some of its more horrific modern features.

This next critique will be difficult to make without sounding like a Joker stan, but I am going to try my best.

We live in a society.

At times throughout this movie I found myself noticing that many of the elements that disturbed me lie in the uncanny valley. This can range from the not-quite-normal voice of the demonic child our protagonists are forced to raise, or the eerily perfect layout of the house they live in. Many times I found myself thinking that many of the more bothersome elements of this movie were the ones that hit close to home given my past of existential crises.

The housing development itself is really not so far from the truth. I have been to suburban housing developments that feel the same way as they do in this movie. They are nothing but artificiality, flimsy walls and cookie-cutter construction. Every human need seems to be taken care of there, yet something is still missing from their wood-textured vinyl siding. They have no soul. All their value is but a thin veneer built by some blood-sucking corporation, probably on Native American burial grounds. The food and goods they receive in mysterious packages is almost begging to be compared to Amazon's Big-Brother level of influence on our advancing levels of automation that seem to know what we need before we do. At one point Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) bites into a strawberry and says that it has no flavor, and based on their faces throughout the rest of the film it seems neither the eggs or orange juice have any either. They do not choose to have a child, but they are handed one and forced to raise it on pain of consequence from an unknown influence. The TV plays only loud noise and hypnotic imagery that is lapped up by their "child". Any one of these elements on their own could be construed a number of ways, but the meaning they imply seems to be greater than the sum of their parts. This movie is not just attempting to be disturb the viewer. It is using hyperbole to make a statement on the superficiality, mundaneness, and loss of individuality we face in modern society, and our lack in ability to escape from the expectations that have been forced upon us. No matter how far they walk through yards, bushes, and climb over perfect fences, they cannot escape their confinement, just as we cannot escape the ceaseless encroachment of our gestating dystopia. This movie is disturbing to me because of how close to reality it truly is.

Obviously not everything in this film is trying so hard to make a big statement on how unnatural or wrong our society is. After all, the movie stands on its own as being a mysterious thriller, and leaves a lot to be questioned by the viewer until just about the end.

I still have many questions myself. Does Martin represent an Alien race learning to assimilate on Earth? are they monsters? What is their end goal besides parasitic procreation? just like our protagonists who receive nearly no closure on their suffering, there is a lot left unanswered for the viewer. I personally think the best films give the viewer something to ponder after the screen has gone cold.

I enjoyed this movie, and if you get a chance I would recommend watching it, and coming to your own conclusions.

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