Robert Pattinson in High Life (A24)
“Break the laws of nature– you’ll pay for it.”
In Claire Denis’s newest arthouse film High Life, Robert Pattinson’s Monte whispers this statement to himself, since only he and his baby girl remain on a coasting space ship, with no other (living) crew members.
Sure, the study of humanity– in the broadest spectrum– has been depicted to death within films that take place in outer space. Isolation, loneliness, violence, and goal-oriented manipulation are common themes we’ve witnessed in space films before, and High Life is no different. But I guarantee that you have never seen a space film quite like this one.
High Life is best experienced with limited knowledge going into it. In the vaguest summation, we are first introduced to Monte (Pattinson) and his young daughter, alone on the ship, after a crew of prisoners are given the option to embark on a structured space mission instead of waiting for the death penalty. The woman in charge, Dr. Dibs (Juliet Binoche) lies to them and treats them like they’re science experiments, as she obsesses over creating artificial reproduction, which has failed numerous times.
No performance is short of impressive. Through Denis’s direction, choreographed depictions of violent fighting and berating amongst this group of thick-skinned prisoners is shocking at how realistic it looks. Juliette Binoche is Best Supporting Actress nominee-worthy as the malevolent yet shamefully inspiriting Dibs, yet she never oversteps her boundaries into campiness. Mia Goth, who wowed me with her wholesome simplicity during last year’s Suspiria yells and kicks her way through the confines of this limited space, (no pun intended) adding another nuanced performance notch to her belt. And Robert Pattinson has long evolved from his Twilight days by making some of the most boldest choices with what projects he chooses to get involved in. His performance as Monte is– at any given moment– stoic, endearing, and/or anguished– but always impactful. Hell, even the little girl who plays Monte’s baby daughter Willow is phenomenal, and her father-daughter interactions with Pattinson feel so pure.
Mia Goth in High Life (A24)
In spite of some of the very disturbing proclivities happening throughout, the French filmmaking legend that is Denis never uses exploitative shock value to get your jaw to drop. Though sexuality (or rather, a means to reproductivity) is prevalent throughout, those who are expecting nonstop space porno orgies will be disappointed. In one of the film’s most beautifully shot sequences, Binoche’s Dibs is sexually pleasuring herself in a secluded black room, and Denis is careful to show very little of her breasts and genitals; she instead primarily focuses the lens on Binoche’s very toned arms, back, and shoulders, creating an extremely confident and empowering look at female sexuality that is not shown nearly enough with women above a certain age. There is also a huge, noticeable difference between the occasional rape scenes in this film as opposed to ones that may have been directed by a man. (The one culminating rape portrayal is done by a woman to a male character under sedation.) Additionally, the bodily fluids that creep their way into certain scenes are made to feel normative (since yes, we all have them) and may only be jarring to those who are way-too-easily offended. In fact, the most unnerving scene containing bodily fluids illustrates a crew member drowning in a pool of his or her own blood, but it’s shot so artfully that horror directors should take detailed notes.
Though space is secondary to the film’s greater ideas, Denis’s visual depictions of it are haunting. She captures the vast infinity of outer space when needed objects are accidentally dropped into the ether– slipping away so gracefully that you almost feel the need to go after them, before realizing how terrifying it is to be one of the things that is meanderingly floating. A particular sequence (that is shown within the trailer) of a handful of corpses floating into the ether is nothing short of bone-chilling. After the recent news about the photographs captured of the black hole, some may find the visuals of the film’s version of a black hole to be strikingly accurate. During the film’s final moment, a bright, white light is shone so vividly into your eyeballs that you will need time to adjust…and just like that, it will be quickly over.
When Denis is concentrating on the inside of the space ship, she often chooses deep blue hues with her lighting that adds surrealism to this otherwordly story that often feels like it could actually happen. That, combined with Stuart Staple’s gorgeous, trumpety musical score during pivotal moments of doom and tension pair so well together.
The film never takes you by the hand and walks you through it, which is rewarding. Various flashbacks and timeframes bleed into each other throughout the first, second, and third acts, as the story is told through non-linear fashion. Several moments will take you a few seconds to realize what’s happening (and in others moments, you will never be quite sure what just happened.) The only consistent character throughout is Pattinson’s Monte, and, as his appearance changes ever so slightly through the years, you’re often left with putting together the pieces of the time frames yourself.
High Life is never about one singular subtext– it is moreso a conglomerate of things that can be seen through endless lenses. Some will view it as Denis’s commentary on the prison system and death row, while others will view it as a look at primal urges, and the ways we mix violence with our sexualities. As I alluded to at the top, much of it is a Frankenstein/Lovecraftian narrative of what happens when we try to play God, but surprisingly, the film’s conclusion is somewhat heroic, rather than primarily melancholy– perhaps so because we have been made aware of the stakes for this mission the crew is embarking on, and the truth that this is the option they chose over wasting away on Earth. Unsurprisingly, the final moments are left open to interpretation.
Along with most of A24’s other filmography, High Life is not for the lazy or the simple-minded. For those who want to be challenged and are willing to accept the most bizzare of places that Denis will take you to, High Life is worth multiple viewings and will likely be considered one of the best films of 2019.
Grade: A
High Life is playing in limited theaters now. You can watch the haunting trailer here.
Horrormonal 