Review of High Life (2019) by Captainhowdy — 28 Apr 2019

Very little happens in this movie, which is a misleading statement because several rather dramatic things happen. However, none of those events have any bearing on each other, and as soon as an event happens, it is forgotten. Taken as a whole, the film just seems to be writer/director Claire Denis throwing anything even mildly interesting up on the screen with the hope that something will stick and make the film relevant. It ends up being a mishmash, and with so many competing ideas forbidding any of the others to be developed, the greater narrative becomes a non-entity. Add to that an ensemble of wholly unlikeable characters and an ending that just sort of suddenly happens without any warning, and this film just leaves you wondering why it took a whole two hours to let this non-story unfold.

One redeeming factor: It contains one of the most realistic depictions or near-light-speed travel I've seen committed to film.