In the psychological thriller Vivarium, a trapped couple is forced to raise a mysterious child.
In short: Directed by Lorcan Finnegan, the 2019 film Vivarium explores a nightmarish suburban trap. When Gemma and Tom visit a housing development called Yonder, they become inexplicably stranded in an identical home. Their only path to release involves raising a rapidly maturing, humanoid creature that mimics their every move.
The narrative follows Gemma, a primary school teacher, and Tom, a landscaper, after they are lured to the Yonder housing development by an unsettling real estate agent named Martin. Upon attempting to leave, the couple finds themselves trapped in a loop, repeatedly returning to house number 9. Their situation escalates when they are presented with a baby boy and a directive to raise the child to earn their freedom.
As the child grows at an unnatural rate, reaching the size of a ten-year-old in just 98 days, the film delves into themes of domestic entrapment and dehumanization. The boy exhibits strange, non-human traits, including the ability to inflate throat sacs and watch fractal patterns on television. Tom, increasingly withdrawn, spends his time digging a hole in the garden, eventually discovering a corpse in a vacuum bag, while Gemma struggles with the forced role of a mother.
The film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2019, has drawn varied critical responses. Some reviewers, such as Glenn Kenny, praised its inventiveness and commitment to its grim premise, while others, like Simon Abrams, critiqued its metaphorical depth. Peter Bradshaw characterized the work as a lab-rat experiment, noting its exploration of postnatal depression and loneliness. Ultimately, the film concludes with a cycle of replacement, as the matured creature assumes the role of the real estate agent, ready to greet the next unsuspecting couple to enter the development.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Vivarium (film)
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