Review: High Life

Never will I ever see this movie again. I’m so sorry for saying this, Claire Denis, but everyone should do themselves a favor and not spend the $15 it takes to see this movie.

Or, better yet, spend the $15 it takes to see High Life so you support women in film and then go see something else at the time it is playing. My friend once said of a particularly annoying class we had to take that “she thought she might understand what they were trying to get at, but they definitely didn’t get there.” And I think that statement sums up High Life for me.

I wanted to like it. I wanted to like it so badly – a Claire Denis space movie with Robert Pattinson? I was there. The premise was enticing – who wouldn’t be curious about a film where the description is “A group of criminals serving death sentences are sent on an alternative energy finding mission in space to extract energy from a black hole.” Something just got lost between the screen and the audience. It was like a Suspiria in space except, well, not a good movie. I felt like I was either saying “WTF” the whole time or shutting my eyes. That isn’t to say that uncomfortable movies are inherently bad (they definitely aren’t!) but this particular uncomfortable movie served absolutely no purpose and pretty much had no real plot.

There is no denying that the cinematography was stunning and the performances were impressive. The baby was really cute and maybe the best actor of the group. But the storyline? Confusing at best with some major plot holes. I felt like I was waiting and waiting to be blown away, for some plot twist to be revealed and it all to come together. There’s nothing wrong with a movie that has a slow plot. Trust me – Paris, Texas is one of my favorites. But when your audience leaves the theater and thinks “why did I watch that?” or “why was that made?” there is a little bit of a disconnect. Perhaps that is what Claire Denis wants, but it was definitely not what I wanted out of a two-hour science fiction film.

The only thing that confuses me more than the movie is the wide-spread critical acclaim it is receiving. The fact that I am reading review after review lauding the film and its genius honestly makes me a little depressed. There are a very small handful of movies that I do not like – I pretty much like everything, which probably makes me a bad candidate to be writing this film blog. High Life is a rare dislike for me. I don’t even feel like it’s an “art film,” whatever THAT means. It’s just bad. Save your money. Go see Us, or, dare I say it, Five Feet Apart.

Shoutout to Carolyn, Liv, Maia, and Halle for spending their Thursday night watching this.