DoubleFeature

I’m absolutely infatuated with Mia goth at the moment, so this evenings double feature was Brandon Cronenberg’s “Infinity Pool” and Gore Verbinski’s “A Cure For Wellness”.

Infinity Pool - 2023

Im not massive on “Body Horror” and have never really been a fan of David Cronenbergs work, though I can respect it, and it’s clear to see that the Apple does not fall far from the tree as his legacy is continued through his son, Brandon.
I watched this purely because it had Mia in it (because there’s only so many times that you can watch Pearl in one week before you have to admit that you have a problem) and went into it with low expectations.
I didn’t think that I’d make it to the end, and at some points, I did feel like turning it off.
Not because I found the film bad per se, but because some scenes were truly just gross for the sake of it.
The infinity pool itself was fu***ng disgusting, but I couldn’t look away, and by the end of it, I was glad for it.

An hour in and it completely loses itself plot wise and trying to figure anything out after that point is futile, you have to enjoy the ride and take it for what it is, and what it is, is a commentary.
The film does exactly what it says on the tin in regards to Hedonism and Violence.

Mia’s performance was outstanding and the development of her character is what kept my eyes glued to the screen from the very start.
It was easy to hate James, he was always a worm and he received everything he bargained for when he decided to stay on the island and pursue his curiosities, however it seems, maybe just to me, that every time this woman portrays the most psychopathic and deplorable characters imaginable she does so in such a way that is dangerously intoxicating.
I genuinely can’t blame poor James Foster for besting himself to a pulp and then pi***ng all over his own cloned body just because she told him to, if I’m ever caught in this woman’s wake I just know that I’m going to be lacking, hard.

A Cure For Wellness - 2017

I’d love to spend more time talking about my schoolyard crush on Shia Labeoufs girlfriend however it’s Dane DeHaan who deserves every bit of the spotlight here.
There a reason that this gothic Horror/Thriller feels eerily similar to Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” and it’s not just down to the set design or the location within the film.
It’s down to DeHaan’s performance as Lockhart mirroring Di Caprio’s Teddy Daniel’s.
Other than “Feeling” like Shutter Island, A Cure For Wellness is its own film entirely while taking multiple elements from the horror genre.

Lockhart had many obstacles in his way throughout the film while trying to bring his boss back to New York, some of them slimy, but the biggest of them was his “Broken Leg”.
Although it’s later revealed his leg was never broken and the cast was merely placed on his leg to keep him confined to the grounds of the centre, Lockhart refused to let what he believed to be a crippling injury stop him from going on bike ride adventures, breaking out in bar fights with the locals and exploring the restricted floors of the wellness centre in his quest for poor old Mr Pembrooke which ultimately led to the revelation of the the true nature of the Wellness Centre.

For the most part, the plot felt quite easy to read until it reached its climax and it was revealed that Jason Isaac’s Character Dr Volmer wasn’t just an evil experimentalist but a Centuries old Baron hell bent on ra**ng his own, also centuries old, daughter.

It was the bed chambers beneath the wellness centre and the reveal of Volmers true face that executed this movie in a perfect gothic horror fashion and was overall a really impressive watch that started out as a continuation of my obsession with Mia Goth and ended with a newfound love and appreciation for the hidden Gem that is Dane DeHaan.