A24’s space thriller ‘High Life’ is a wonderfully weird, challenging look at humanity

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.

“The Endless” is trippy, intelligent, poetic, and often confusing…but it’s not for lazy audiences

Brothers Justin and Aaron return to the UFO death cult they escaped years before for closure (Arrow Films)

You know that one girl on your Instagram feed…probably named Ashley or the like…the one that makes her own therapeutic “aromatherapy” products (that she cons certain gullible middle aged women into purchasing), grows all of her own organic foods and “medicines,” (aka she’s a witch doctor), and swears that spiritualism lies within “meditation” and yoga? Imagine a whole, entire hipster cult of that annoying girl- but throw in some UFO-believing men too, that try to convince their followers that suicide is an ideal option for their situation?  That is what kind of people you are watching in The Endless– except it is told in a much more artistic and intelligent way than annoying Ashley’s Instagram feed, and you realize that this spiritual cult is actually on to something here…