Antiviral

Are you in the mood to feel really, really gross?  Then I have just the film for you!

Now, a movie that makes you feel gross may not sound like something you should watch.  But believe me, you want to watch this one.

"Antiviral" belongs to a subgenre of horror known as "body horror."  "Body horror" is not scary in the sense of jump scares or screams.  It is a genre designed to make your uncomfortable.  To make you feel gross. 

"Antiviral" is written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg.  If you love classic horror movies, then the name "Cronenberg" should ring a bell.  He is the son of the king of body horror, David Cronenberg.  And while David may have moved on to more mainstream (but staggeringly incredible) films, Brandon has made a movie worthy of his father's horror legacy.

The movie takes place in the near future and, like the best of horror movies, has something to say about modern society.  "Antiviral" is a scathing satire of the West's obsession with celebrity.  In this future, companies harvest viruses from sick celebrities and render them inactive.  Fans can then have themselves injected with these viruses thus providing them with a connection with that celebrity.  Syd, one of the technicians who administers these "treatments," also deals in black market viruses, using his own body as a transport system through security checkpoints.  After a popular celebrity dies of an illness, Syd realizes that he is transporting that very virus.  His attempts to find a cure lead him into a rabbit hole of corporate espionage, needles galore, and pseudo-cannibalism.

Caleb Landry Jones turns in a stellar performance as Syd.  He looks like he is on the verge of psychosis in every frame.  Every word that passes his lips is a raspy whisper that manages to be vaguely sexual and distressing.  The world he inhabits markets perversion and Syd embodies that while being equally dismissive of it.

The look of this future is also of note.  There's a focus on blinding, clean white.  It's a set design that perfectly reflects the obsession with "perfect" people and contrasts the people's fondness for gossiping about celebrity flaws.

So if you're in a mood to feel awful, not just in your own skin but about society, check out "Antiviral."  To few horror films are as smart, poignant, and imaginative.

8 out of 10