The disturbing first teaser for David Cronenberg’sCrimes of the Futurehas been released by Neon. The film, which premieres next month at the Cannes Film Festival, stars Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux, and Kirsten Stewart.
The trailer forCrimes of the Futureopens with Mortensen as he’s revealed to be encased in some kind of giant womb. He’s overlooked by his partner, played by Seydoux, along with a captivated audience of onlookers. An ominous voice speaks over the trailer, repeatedly saying, “It is time to start seeing, it is time to start speaking, it is time to listen.”
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The rest of the short teaser doesn’t reveal too much about the film, but it features plenty of disturbing imagery, such as Stewart’s character prodding into someone’s abdomen with a futuristic surgical device and Mortensen sitting in what can only be described as an exoskeleton chair. The official description forCrimes of the Futurereads, “As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner, Caprice (Seydoux), Saul Tenser (Mortensen), a celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Timlin (Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed… Their mission – to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.”
Crimes of the Futurewill be Cronenberg’s first film in eight years. His last film was 2014’sMaps to the Stars,which starred actress Julianne Moore as a washed-up actress in a role that won her the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival.Crimes of the Futurewill be Cronenberg’s fourth collaboration with Mortensen, who has starred in several of the director’s more recent films includingEastern Promises,A History of Violence,and the Freudian historical dramaA Dangerous Method.
Cronenberg is best known for his controversial body horror films such asVideodrome,Crash,and the 1986 remake ofThe Flystarringactor Jeff Goldblum. He has already stated that he expectsCrimes of the Futureto be extremely divisive, saying to i-D, “The last twenty minutes are a very tough sit. I expect walk-outs, faintings and real panic attacks (I almost had one myself!) at the Lumière Theatre. No hyperbole, I promise”.
The filmwill premiere next month at theCannes Film Festival, where it will be in competition for the prestigious Palme d’Or award. Last year’s winner was Julia Ducournau’s acclaimed horror film,Titane.Ducournau’s film was compared favorably to the works of Cronenberg, due to its use of body horror and themes surrounding transformation.
Crimes of the Futurewill premiere next month at the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 17th to May 28th, 2022.
