Who lives and who dies? This interesting horror movie answers that.
David Cronenberg is a filmmaker whose credits include “A History of Violence” and “Crime of the Future.” And he also has three kids, and two of them have proven that they can follow in their father’s footsteps. His son Brandon has made “Antiviral,” “Possessor,” and “Infinity Pool.” And now, his daughter Caitlin has made her directorial debut with “Humane,” an apocalyptic horror movie with a great cast and a twisted nature.
As the film begins, an environmental collapse has forced the world leaders to reduce the populations, and our nation has developed a euthanasia program, which garners mixed reactions from the public. Some say it’s for the good of mankind, while others think it’s evil, especially since the D.O.C.S. (Department of Citizen Strategy) has to inject the soon-to-be-deceased right in front of their families.
I sure won’t be signing up anytime soon. I mean no disrespect to the people in this world.
There’s also a family dinner, hosted by the patriarch Charles York (Peter Gallagher), who is a former war correspondent regretting not being there more for his kids, and his wife Dawn (Uni Park), who is also a Japanese chef. His kids consist of the anthropologist Jared (Jay Baruchel) who has damaged the lives of his former wife and son; the coldly pharmaceutical company executive Rachel (Emily Hampshire) who had to bring her daughter Mia (Sirena Gulamgaus) to the dinner; the recovering junkie Noah (Sebastian Chacon) who is struggling to fix his life; and the aspiring actress Ashley (Alanna Bale) who can’t catch a break. And at the dinner, they’re all like “Why did you invite us here?”
His answer: Charles and Dawn both plan to enlist in the euthanasia program, much to everyone’s chagrin.
The people who are sent to kill them are from led by Bob (Enrico Colantoni from “Galaxy Quest” and “Contagion”), who informs the family that because Dawn had cold feet, one of them has to take her place. It’s policy that they need to complete the order of two bodies. Mia is exempt because she’s a minor. So, that means she can annoy and insult Bob, so the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. And that means he can retaliate by saying all the negative comments her classmates say about her mother are true.
While the kid has to annoy me with those segments, all four adults have two hours to decide who must die. That means they can fight with each other, and that means they can kill one of them. It’ll save the D.O.C.S. the paperwork. Do they all have to realize the error of their ways? Yes, they do. Do they have to deceive one another when they say they’ll protect him/her from the murderous siblings? Yes, they do. But does it have to be so tedious? No, it can be thrilling and interesting the way writer/producer Michael Sparaga studies them and how Cronenberg films them.
“Humane” is not a perfect movie in terms of its formulas, but it does feel like a Cronenberg movie because of the characters’ immoral decisions and actions that has us contemplating on hoping they live or die. Baruchel, Hampshire, Chacon, and Bale all deliver with clever attitudes and complications, while Colantoni is wickedly charming and Gallagher is entertaining. So, you have a great cast in a small, but clever and twisted movie.
We’re always going to be worrying about the future, especially with our climate change, and that’s why we’re going to get various movies of the genre, big or small. And it’s always scary when it comes to thought. But it can also keep us involved with the director’s technique and creativity. “Humane” has both those elements, but I’m still not enlisting with its program.
In Select Theaters and Streaming on VOD