Iconic director David Cronenberg made his name with a series of eye-popping ‘body horror’ movies. The best are The Fly, Videodrome, and Dead Ringers, though he apparently abandoned the genre in 1999 with eXistenZ. Since then, he’s put out several warped crime thrillers, but now he’s returned to the icky stuff with Crimes of the Future. And, judging by this debut trailer, he’s back in style.
The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart, and Léa Seydoux for what appears to be a highly sexually charged glimpse into a future heavily influenced by the works of H.R. Giger. The synopsis indicates we’ll see mankind exploring ways to adjust their biology and physiology at will — known as “Accelerated Evolution Syndrome”.
Mortensen will play Saul Tensor, an artist who’s decided to dive headlong into the transhuman world, resulting in him beginning to grow alien-looking organs on his body. Seydoux plays his partner Caprice, who aids Tensor in performances that involve him removing his new organs, though trouble is brewing from those who think humans should stay as God made them.
Crimes of the Future is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it’ll be in contention for the coveted Palm d’Or award. Cannes is notable for its intense audience reactions and habit of audience members dramatically leaving the theater to express their disgust with a movie. So, how does Cronenberg think this will go down? As per World of Reel, he said
“I expect walk-outs, faintings and panic attacks.”
Hell yeah. Bring it on.
Crimes of the Future opens in the U.S. this June.
