| Infinity Pool | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | Infinity Pool |
| Directed by: | Brandon Cronenberg |
| Written by: | Brandon Cronenberg |
| Produced by: | Michael Bloom; Ryan Bobkin; Andrew Cividino; Rob Cotterill; Brandon Cronenberg; Jeff Deutchman; Brendan Gunn; Jonathan Halperyn; Karen Harnisch; Ryan Heller; Karim Hussain; Anita Juka; Ivona Juka; Daniel Kresmery; Emily Kulasa; Adrian Love; Laurie May; Charlotte Mickie; Lajos Nagy; Hengameh Panahi; Christina Piovesan; Tom Quinn; Noah Segal; Laura Sinovčić; Alexander Skarsgård; Yona Strauss; Emily Thomas; Maria Zuckerman |
| Music by: | Tim Hecker |
| Cinematography: | Karim Hussain |
| Edited by: | James Vandewater |
| Production | |
| Production: | 4 Film Film Forge Hero Squared Téléfilm Canada Elevation Pictures Topic Studios Croatian Film Association |
| Distributors: | Neon Elevation Pictures |
| Released: | January 21st, 2023 |
| Rating: | R |
| Running time: | 118 min. [1] |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | — |
Infinity Pool is a Canadian feature film of the science fiction and psychological thriller subgenre of horror. It was written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg. It was produced by 4 Film, Film Forge, Neon and Elevation Pictures and co-financed by the Croatian Film Association, Téléfilm Canada, and Topic Studios. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21st, 2023. It opened to wide release in Canada on January 27th, 2023 and limited theatrical release in the United States on that same day. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård as James Foster with Mia Goth as Gabi Bauer and Cleopatra Coleman as Em Foster.
Plot[]
Vacationers at Li Tolqa.
James Foster and his wife Em are on vacation at a seaside resort island called Li Tolqa. James is a struggling writer who hasn't published anything in six years. His wife is the daughter of a powerful media magnate and she has been supporting James financially. Their marriage appears to be going through some tense times. Em wants to see the sites and go to restaurants, but James balks a the notion.
As it turns out, they meet a vacationing couple named Alban and Gabi Bauer. The couples go out to dinner and then borrow a car from an employee so they can leave the resort and drive through the countryside - a prospect that is forbidden by the Li Tolqan government. They spend the day at the beach, and Gabi ends up giving James an unexpected hand job. That evening, the group are driving back towards the resort, and they are all fairly intoxicated. James is at the wheel, but when the headlights of the car fail, he accidentally hits and kills a farmer who had been walking across the road.
Gabi on the beach.
The following day, a corrupt police inspector named Thresh bangs on the Fosters' hotel room door. They are arrested for the hit and run accident - a crime that carries a death sentence. Thresh offers James an alternative however. They have the ability to create a "duplicate" of the offender - a perfect clone that even retains the memories of the original. For a financial donation, they have the option of having the surrogate take James' place at the execution. James and Em agree to this, but are shocked to discover that they are required to appear as witnesses. They are present as the son of the deceased farmer confronts the clone of James Foster. He stabs him multiple times with a knife until he is dead.
Both James and Em are repulsed by this and decide that they wish to leave. However, James cannot find his passport, so he extends their visit by another so he has time to replace it. During this time, James distances himself from Em and becomes closer with Gabi, Alban and several other vacationers named Jennifer, Charles, Bex and Doctor Bob Modan. James learns that all of them have had duplicates created to account for past legal transgressions, as it is virtually impossible to exist in this country without committing some capital offense. As they all come from money, the group enjoys a life of hedonism, knowing that any transgression can be bought off by paying for a clone to suffer the consequences of their actions.
James has had a rough night.
James falls in with the group's activities, leaving Em back in the room. He embraces their frenetic carefree lifestyle and participates in a home invasion to steal a medal from a wealthy resident. He takes hallucinogens supplied by Gabi and participates in an orgy with the group. James is arrested at least two more times, and draws from Em's bank account to produced a clone surrogate to take his place at execution. He begins to enjoy watching his duplicates getting executed.
Detective Thresh is aware of their activity, and tells them that the hospitality provided to them by Li Tolqa is quickly running out. At Gabi's urging, they decided to ambush Detective Thresh and abduct him. Gabi manipulates James into brutalizing the man, who has a sack pulled across his head. When the sack is removed however, it is revealed to be another clone of James. Gabi laughs uproariously citing that it was just a prank.
Nope. Nothing strange about this at all.
James' more reasonable side begins to surface, and he realizes that he needs to leave Li Tolqa. Em has already left without him. Having lied to her about losing his passport, he procures it from a spot in the hotel room where he had hidden it, and boards a bus to take him to the airport.
James' new friends are not willing to let him go that easily however. They chase after the bus, forcing it to come to a stop. Gabi is extremely upset with James for attempting to leave them, and brandishes a pistol in his direction while screaming about how pathetic he is. She also reveals that he was targeted by their group as the subject of their own amusement. James runs off into the woods and Gabi fires wildly after him. One bullet manages to catch him in the leg.
Hours later, James stumbles upon a patch of farmland. He collapses just outside the house. When he awakens, he finds himself inside the house in a bed. He is stricken to discover that it is the same house as the farmer whom he had accidentally killed.
Who is that masked man?
Once he has regains his strength, he is again confronted by Gabi's group, who order him to kill a leashed duplicate of himself they refer to as "the dog" to complete his transformation into a murdering tourist. He initially refuses, but when the clone attempts to kill him, James punches him repeatedly across the face until he dies. Gabi consoles James by exposing her bare breast, covering it with the warm blood of "the dog" and inviting him to simulate breastfeeding.
The next day, the group all board a shuttle leaving the resort for the airport, signifying the end of their vacation. The Li Tolqa resort is now closing for monsoon season. The other tourists casually chat about upcoming errands, while James is visibly traumatized. Waiting in the airport for his flight, he resolves to remain behind instead. He returns to the closed resort, where he sits alone amidst the downpour of the monsoon.
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Cleopatra Coleman | Em Foster |
| Alexander Skarsgård | James Foster |
| Dunja Sepčić | Anna the cleaning woman |
| Ádám Boncz | Ketch |
| Jalil Lespert | Alban Bauer |
| Mia Goth | Gabi Bauer |
| Zijad Gračić | Dro Thresh |
| Amar Bukić | Resort cop |
| Alan Katić | Police officer 1 |
| Thomas Kretschmann | Police detective Thresh |
| Katalin Lábán | Head nurse |
| Kamilla Fátyol | Myro's wife |
| Lena Juka Štambuk | Myro's daughter |
| Kristóf Kovács | Myro's son |
| Romina Tonković | Receptionist |
| Amanda Brugel | Jennifer |
| Jeff Ricketts | Charles |
| John Ralston | Doctor Bob Modan |
| Caroline Boulton | Bex |
| Hajnalka Zsigár | Maid |
| Anita Major | Mistress |
| Gergely Trócsányi | Owner |
| Géza Kovács | Bodyguard |
| Roderick Hill | Angry guest |
| Oszkár Bócsik | Bus driver |
Notes & Trivia[]
- The tagline for this film is "Find out what kind of a creature you really are".
- Principal filming on Infinity Pool began on September 6th, 2021. The first twelve days of shooting took place at the Amadria Park resort in Šibenik, Croatia, which doubled for the fictional Li Tolqa resort. [2] After which, production was relocated to Budapest, Hungary. [3]
- Post-production was conducted in mid to late 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. [4]
- Infinity Pool came in at number 9 at the box office for its July 27th-29th weekend opening. It fell behind two other new releases, Pathaan, which came in at number 2, and Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist. It beat out Fear, which came in at number 12.
- At its widest release, Infinity Pool was screened in 1,835 theaters. It remained in release for a total of fifty-one weeks (360 days), though the majority of this theatrical run was in Canada. [5]
- Infinity Pool grossed $2,514,364 over its U.S. domestic opening with a total in revenue of $5,078,400 over its entire U.S. run. It grossed $123,901 internationally for a worldwide total of $5,202,301. [6]
- Infinity Pool was released on Blu-ray by Decal Releasing on April 11th, 2023. [7] The uncut version of the film, running at 118 minutes, was released in SteelBook edition 4K Ultra HD by Decal Releasing on August 29th, 2023. [8]
- On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 227 approved critic reviews, with an average rating of 7 out of 10. The film has an audience score of 52% based on more than 250 verified user ratings, averaging 3.1 out of 5.
- On Metacritic, Infinity Pool holds a Metascore of 72 out of 100 based on 46 posted critic submissions, indicating generally favorable reviews. It has 35 positive reviews, 1 negative review, and 10 mixed reviews. It has a user score of 5.8 based on 108 ratings, indicating mixed or average reviews.
- On Letterboxd, Infinity Pool has a weighted average score of 3.17 out of 5 based on 246,635 user ratings.
Explicit content[]
- Female frontal nudity: Home invasion victim as well as fast quick-edits of the orgy scene.
- Female rear nudity: Mia Goth's buttocks partially visible behind prison gown. Unidentified participants in orgy scene.
- Female topless nudity: Home invasion victim. Unidentified participants in orgy scene. Mia Goth's right breast during suckling scene.
- Male frontal nudity: Unidentified participants in orgy scene. Quick edits.
- Male rear nudity: Alexander Skarsgård's buttocks visible behind prison gown.
- Masturbation: Gabi Bauer masturbates James Foster to completion. No nudity, but issue shown.
- Profanity: Strong language used sparingly. Mostly from Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth.
Recommendations[]
See also[]
External Links[]
Gallery[]
Keywords[]
Automobile accident | Bus | Execution | Female frontal nudity | Female rear nudity | Female topless nudity | Gunshot victims | Hallucinations | Handgun | Head injury | Hotel | Knife | Male frontal nudity | Male rear nudity | Mask | Masturbation | Pistol | Profanity | Slit throat | Smoking | Stabbings | Throat injury
References[]
- ↑ The unrated uncut edition of the film ran for 118 minutes. The studios were required to shave off a minute of the more sexually explicit sequences to secure an R rating.
- ↑ Internet Movie Database; Infinity Pool (2023); Filming & Production.
- ↑ Zajović, Milena (October 4, 2021). "PRODUCTION: Brandon Cronenberg Shoots New Feature in Croatia and Hungary". Film New Europe. Archived from the original on October 7th, 2021.
- ↑ "Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool filming in Šibenik, Croatia". Hrvatski audiovizualni centar. October 1st, 2021. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ↑ Box Office Mojo; Infinity Pool (2023); Domestic Grosses.
- ↑ Box Office Mojo; Infinity Pool (2023); Title Summary. All Releases. Domestic/International/Worldwide.
- ↑ Blu-ray.com; Infinity Pool Blu-ray. Decal Releasing (Apr 11, 2023).
- ↑ Blu-ray.com; Infinity Pool Uncut SteelBook Blu-ray. Decal Releasing (Aug 29, 2023).