When does the self end and the stranger begin? Brandon Cronenberg’s visions force us to question the fragile boundaries of identity.
Brandon Cronenberg’s recent forays into body horror extend his father’s legacy while carving a distinct path through the psyche’s darkest corridors. In Possessor (2020) and Infinity Pool (2023), he dissects identity with surgical precision, blending visceral gore with philosophical unease. This comparison unearths how these films, both starring formidable ensembles, redefine identity horror by probing possession, duplication, and moral disintegration.
- Both films weaponise sci-fi elements—neural implants in Possessor and cloning tech in Infinity Pool—to shatter protagonists’ senses of self, revealing universal fears of autonomy’s loss.
- Cronenberg’s stylistic evolutions, from intimate psychological tension to sprawling hedonistic dread, amplify thematic depths, with sound design and cinematography as key differentiators.
- Through performances and production innovations, these works influence contemporary horror, echoing Upgrade and Under the Skin while pushing ethical boundaries on screen violence and empathy.
Uncertain Selves: Possessor and Infinity Pool’s Assault on Identity
Neural Invasions and Cloned Escapes: Plot Parallels
In Possessor, Tasya Vos, portrayed with chilling detachment by Andrea Riseborough, operates as a corporate assassin who hijacks hosts’ bodies via experimental brain implants. Her latest assignment targets a rising executive, played by Christopher Abbott, thrusting her into a vortex of conflicting impulses and fragmented memories. The narrative unfolds in a near-future Toronto, where sleek corporate towers belie the intimate horror of minds merging unwillingly. Key sequences depict Vos struggling to suppress her host’s familial loyalties, culminating in acts of shocking brutality that blur perpetrator and victim.
Contrast this with Infinity Pool, set against the sun-drenched depravity of La Tolqa resort. Alexander Skarsgård’s James and Mia Goth’s Em descend into a cycle of indulgence enabled by the island’s cloning technology, which allows the wealthy to evade consequences by substituting doppelgängers for punishment. What begins as erotic escapism spirals into ritualistic savagery, with James confronting multiple versions of himself—each more debased than the last. The film’s ensemble, including Cleopatra Coleman and Karolina Głowacki, amplifies the group’s corrosive influence, turning paradise into a hall of mirrors.
Both stories hinge on technology as identity’s saboteur. Possessor internalises the threat through direct neural control, evoking real-world anxieties over brain-computer interfaces like Neuralink. Vos’s possession demands constant vigilance against ‘bleed-over’, where host traits erode her core self, manifesting in hallucinatory visions of domestic life clashing with assassinations. Infinity Pool externalises it via physical replicas, forcing James to watch his clone endure fatal retribution, a spectacle that desensitises and excites in equal measure.
Production histories underscore these parallels. Possessor premiered at Sundance amid pandemic delays, its intimate scale reflecting Cronenberg’s debut constraints post-Antiviral. Infinity Pool, shot in sweltering Croatian locations standing in for a fictional isle, ballooned budgets with extensive prosthetics, mirroring the film’s theme of excess. Legends of body-snatching, from folklore dybbuks to sci-fi like John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War, underpin both, but Cronenberg grounds them in capitalist critique—assassination for hire in one, impunity for the elite in the other.
Shattered Mirrors: Identity Crises Unveiled
Identity horror thrives on dissolution, and Cronenberg excels here. In Possessor, Vos embodies the assassin archetype twisted by empathy’s intrusion; a pivotal bedroom scene fuses her lover’s tenderness with her host’s rage, birthing hybrid monstrosities. This arc interrogates motherhood, capitalism, and consent, as Vos’s detachment crumbles under familial echoes, culminating in a identity meltdown where self-recognition fails.
Infinity Pool flips this inward gaze outward. James, a blocked writer tethered to his affluent wife, discovers liberation through crime’s impunity. Cloning strips agency: is the’real’ James the observer or the executed copy? Goth’s Em evolves from seductress to primal force, her fluid sexuality mirroring James’s fracturing ego. Scenes of masked orgies and vehicular carnage symbolise ego death, drawing from Freudian id eruptions amid colonial backdrops.
Gender dynamics diverge sharply. Vos weaponises femininity in male hosts, subverting phallic violence; a throat-slitting sequence throbs with erotic displacement. James’s arc, conversely, emasculates through voyeurism, his semen-stained doppelgänger underscoring reproductive anxieties. Both probe trauma’s inheritance—Vos from implied losses, James from class imposture—yet Infinity Pool‘s ensemble devolves collectively, evoking Bataille’s excess philosophies.
Class politics saturate these narratives. Possessor‘s corporate overlords commodify minds, echoing David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ. Infinity Pool skewers tourism’s underbelly, where Western privilege clones away accountability, akin to White Lotus horrors but bloodier. These films indict neoliberal selves, fragmented by market forces.
Visual Nightmares: Cinematography’s Dual Assaults
Cronenberg’s visuals, lensed by Karim Hussain in Possessor and Lol Crawley in Infinity Pool, weaponise mise-en-scène. Possessor‘s cold blues and axial cuts mimic neural precision; slow-motion stabbings distort time, symbolising psychic lag. Urban alienation dominates, with Toronto’s glass facades reflecting fractured psyches.
Infinity Pool basks in lurid yellows and fisheye distortions, evoking poolside decadence’s vertigo. Handheld frenzy captures ritual pursuits, while clone executions employ stark lighting to dehumanise replicas. Resort opulence contrasts gore’s intimacy, subverting vacation tropes.
Both deploy macro shots for corporeal invasion: brain probes in Possessor, skin grafts in Infinity Pool. Influences from Gaspar Noé’s psychedelia and Nicolas Winding Refn’s neon pulse through, yet Cronenberg’s restraint heightens dread.
Lighting philosophies differ: Possessor‘s chiaroscuro isolates minds; Infinity Pool‘s flares blind morally. Together, they elevate identity horror beyond jump scares.
Sonic Selves: Sound Design’s Subtle Terrors
Soundscapes define immersion. Possessor‘s score by Jim Williams layers synthetic drones with organic squelches, host bleeds sonically manifesting as overlapping voices. A possession climax drowns in feedback, embodying self-erasure.
Infinity Pool, scored by Tim Hecker, swells with tropical percussion mutating into dissonance. Em’s whispers seduce, clone screams commodify pain. Ambient resort hums underscore isolation.
These designs draw from Pi‘s paranoia, amplifying psychological rifts. Silence punctuates violence, forcing confrontation with the voided self.
Effects Extravaganza: Prosthetics and Practical Magic
Special effects anchor visceral impact. Possessor favours practical gore: exploding heads via air mortars, body-meld prosthetics by Francois Durocher. Neural interfaces blend CGI subtlety with tangible horror, evoking early Cronenberg squibs.
Infinity Pool escalates with Francois’ successor teams crafting clone decay—melted faces, eviscerated torsos—shot practically for authenticity. Water-based kills innovate, blood diffusing surrealistically.
Both shun over-reliance on digital, honouring The Thing‘s legacy. Effects not mere spectacle but metaphors: possession as fleshy fusion, cloning as replicant rot.
Production challenges abounded—Possessor‘s COVID quarantines, Infinity Pool‘s heat-warped latex—yet yielded benchmarks for indie effects.
Performances in Peril: Actors’ Ego Deaths
Riseborough’s Vos chills through micro-expressions, Abbott’s host a powder keg. Skarsgård’s James arcs from hapless to heinous, Goth’s feral energy iconic.
These turns demand physicality: contortions, accents. Influences from De Niro’s immersions shine.
Legacy Ripples: Influencing the Genre
Possessor inspired neural horror like Crimes of the Future; Infinity Pool echoes in class satires. Together, they evolve body horror toward identity voids, post-Hereditary.
Censorship battles—UK cuts for Infinity Pool—highlight edges pushed.
Conclusion: Mirrors of the Modern Soul
Cronenberg’s diptych warns of tech-mediated selves, blending inheritance with innovation. Identity horror finds fresh viscera here.
Director in the Spotlight
Brandon Cronenberg, born 1980 in Los Angeles to legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg and editor Carolyn Zeifman, imbibed cinema from infancy. Raised in Toronto, he studied film at Ryerson University, assisting on father’s sets like A History of Violence (2005). His directorial debut Antiviral (2012) premiered at Venice, earning praise for viral celebrity satire starring Caleb Landry Jones. Possessor (2020) solidified his voice, blending sci-fi with ultraviolence. Infinity Pool (2023) expanded scope, grossing amid controversy. Upcoming works include unannounced projects. Influences span father’s oeuvre, Videodrome (1983), and contemporaries like Ari Aster. Career highlights: TIFF accolades, cult status. Filmography: Antiviral (2012, celebrity flesh cults); Possessor (2020, mind possession thriller); Infinity Pool (2023, resort cloning horror). Producer on father’s Crimes of the Future (2022). Known for philosophical gore, meticulous prep.
Actor in the Spotlight
Alexander Skarsgård, born 1976 in Stockholm, Sweden, son of Stellan Skarsgård, debuted young in Hounds of the Baskervilles (1984 remake). Post-military service, he broke out with Generation Kill (2008 miniseries), earning Emmy nod. Hollywood ascent: Eric Northman in True Blood (2008-2014), cementing sex symbol status. The Legend of Tarzan (2016) led to The Northman (2022), his directorial passion project. Infinity Pool (2023) showcases horror chops. Awards: Gull Medal, Emmy noms. Filmography: Dogville (2003, Lars von Trier ensemble); Melancholia (2011, end-times drama); The East (2013, eco-thriller); The Legend of Tarzan (2016, action); Bigger Splash (2015, erotic thriller); The Northman (2022, Viking revenge); Infinity Pool (2023, identity horror); Mr. Milligan (upcoming). Theatre roots, multilingual prowess define trajectory.
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Bibliography
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Matheson, S. (2022) ‘Body Horror 2.0: Brandon Cronenberg’s Evolutions’, Film Quarterly, 75(3), pp. 45-56. University of California Press.
Rose, S. (2020) ‘Possessor: A New Cronenberg Classic?’, The Guardian, 4 November. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/04/possessor-review-brandon-cronenberg (Accessed: 15 October 2024).
Williams, T. (2019) ‘Sound Design in Contemporary Horror’, Journal of Film Music, 14(1), pp. 112-130.