The next few weeks see the arrival of two films hailing from two of the most acclaimed genre filmmakers out there – David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future” and Alex Garland’s “Men”.
‘Crimes’ marks a return of Cronenberg to the body horror subgenre, one he built much of his early acclaimed work on but has since steered away from over much of the past two decades.
He returns in full force though here with the Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux and Kristen Stewart-led film which will premiere shortly at the Cannes Film Festival.
Speaking with Deadline recently, Cronenberg says he wouldn’t be surprised if his new film prompted a big reaction during the festival:
“There are some very strong scenes. I mean, I’m sure that we will have walkouts within the first five minutes of the movie. I’m sure of that.
Some people who have seen the film have said that they think the last 20 minutes will be very hard on people and that there’ll be a lot of walkouts.
Some guy said that he almost had a panic attack. And I say, ‘Well, that would be OK.’ But I’m not convinced that that will be a general reaction. I do expect walkouts in Cannes, and that’s a very special thing.”
That’s not the only film prompting that kind of talk. Reviews are out for Garland’s “Men” which has proven deliberately divisive, the movie was designed to prompt discussion among audiences over its themes and content.
One recurring comment in all the reviews though center on the wild last twenty minutes. Indiewire says it “makes a giddy swerve towards Giger-esque body horror,” while The Playlist says the film: “features two scenes towards the end of act three, which are both easily, for me, two of the most revolting sequences I have ever witnessed in a movie.”
A24 will release “Men” in cinemas on May 20th while NEON is opening “Crimes of The Future” domestically on June 3rd.
