Humane

After stumbling upon many negative reviews around here, I felt compelled to share my thoughts with my first review. This film doesn't quite hit the lows that many claim, nor does it reach the heights promised by its premise.

The core issue is rather straightforward: the script (skillfully executed by Michael Sparaga) leans heavily into satire, however, it appears that not everyone involved in the production fully embraced this idea. The film oscillates between moments of absurdity, humor, thriller, and straight-up horror, leading to a somewhat disjointed direction. While there are occasional flashes of comedic bullseyes, the constant comparison to David Cronenberg's esteemed body horror of work is inevitable, despite the absence of substantial horror elements (barring a few graphic close-ups in the third act).

The movie would have greatly benefited from leaning further into its satirical elements rather than focusing primarily on horror and suspense. This failure to fully embrace its comedic side left me feeling somewhat confused. Is it a left-wing nightmare? A mockery of right-wing extremes? Probably neither. This imbalance, favoring horror over absurdist hilarity, likely contributed to the dissatisfaction of many viewers. When the socio-political message becomes too apparent in any form of art, there's a risk of either angering or boring the audience.

Still, if viewed as a satire, the movie with its one-location concept offers an entertaining experience. It serves as a commendable directorial debut and showcases a standout performance by Enrico Colantoni, who knows exactly what kind of movie he's in.

How do you sully the Cronenberg name? Well, this is a start.

Maybe that's too harsh, as "Humane" is a passable movie going experience, but it does pale next to what poppa David and brother Brandon have unleashed lately.

After a career in photography Caitlin Cronenberg joins her family of filmmakers with this auspicious eco-thriller debut, and it does look great. It has that. It also has the spunky yet amateurish charm of the early Cronenberg films, where horror sprinkled with macabre comedic touches is the payoff of to quickly ignored and outlandish plotlines. The set up to "Humane", a voluntary 20% euthanasia program to combat climate change, is great. Even better, a well to do family gathers for a squabbling dinner only discover that one of them will be "volunteered" before the night is over. Greater! Jay Baruchel turns in another stellar performance, this time as the fast talking, back-tracking, squirming son who is squeamish about walking the walk he's talking. Greatest!

The rest of the movie is a sibling rivalry gone extreme exercise, as the kids are literally at each others' throats. Spoiler: things get bloody. Sounds, er reads good on paper, but the execution is just not up to the task. The plot holes are too egregious to ignore, and the action not engrossing enough to forgive the sketchy story line. A thriller without the thrill. Perhaps filming during the Pandemic hampered the production, who knows?

There's enough here to satiate those without expectation, and if including Trooper's "We're Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time)" seems like a laugh riot knee-slapping inclusion, well, then you may dig this.

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So I won't go into a movie summary since IMDb already does a pretty good job of doing that. It is watchable, but kind of slow to get started. The acting is very average for all involved except for the two main character husband and wife...they of course are quite seasoned. The soundtrack, yea that is really lacking. And actually takes away from many scenes while always playing softly in the background. But where this film is actually quite strong is the cinematography. Whoever the cinematographer was for the movie knew his business. Not a single shakey-cam anywhere. They set up the scenes and and shots it all really well. That is something so new. Typically it is annoying shakey-cam and high school level film class shots. So it's worth a watch.

A chilling social commentary disguised as a family thriller. Set against the backdrop of an environmentally ravaged Earth, the film throws us into the heart of a wealthy family grappling with a government-sanctioned euthanasia program to curb overpopulation.

We follow the story of Peter, a once-celebrated news anchor now facing the prospect of entering the program. As his family grapples with this dark reality, cracks begin to show in the seemingly "humane" facade.

The film masterfully builds tension through a combination of social commentary and psychological horror. The luxurious homes of the privileged stand in stark contrast to the desperation of those on the outside. The ever-present threat of "Humane" hangs heavy, casting a shadow of doubt on every interaction.

"Humane" isn't afraid to get its hands dirty. The story takes some truly disturbing turns, highlighting the potential for social control and the lengths some will go to in a desperate situation. The parallels to "The Purge" are undeniable, but "Humane" feels more insidious, a slow-burning descent into a society where "culling" becomes normalized.

While the film might not offer easy answers, it provokes thought-provoking questions about resource allocation, euthanasia, and the ethics of survival in a world on the brink and how some enjoy the chaos as it plays out.

I watched Humane. I liked the idea. And the movie kept my interest. But I just couldn't really believe it.

If D. O. C. S. did all that, (by "all that," I mean details that would spoil the movie if I were to write them,) and any family knew about it, that information would spread like wildfire. It wouldn't have been a big surprise to the family.

The end was cheesy AF. Not believable at all.

I disliked the politics of the film also. It would have been way more believable to have the World Health Organization doing all of it, rather than a single political party.

There are numerous other things that just didn't add up in it also.

Buuuuut... it held my interest. And the CONCEPT of the film was very original and intriguing, which is way more than I can say for the other movies coming out nowadays. The movie was good, but it could have been great with just a bit more thought put into it.