Antiviral (2012)

After becoming infected with the virus that killed superstar Hannah Geist, Syd March must unravel the mystery surrounding her death to save his own life.

Director:

Brandon Cronenberg

Writer:

Brandon Cronenberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Lisa Berry

4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Caleb Landry Jones	...	Syd March
Sarah Gadon	...	Hannah Geist
Douglas Smith	...	Edward Porris
Joe Pingue	...	Arvid
Nicholas Campbell	...	Dorian
Sheila McCarthy	...	Dev Harvey
Wendy Crewson	...	Mira Tesser
Nenna Abuwa	...	Aria Noble
Lisa Berry	...	Lucas Clinic Receptionist
Malcolm McDowell	...	Dr. Abendroth
Donna Goodhand	...	Woman in Waiting Room
Adam Bogen	...	Lucas Clinic Security Guard
Salvatore Antonio	...	Topp
Matt Watts	...	Mercer
Dawn Greenhalgh	...	Jane

Storyline

Syd March is an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion - for a price. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.

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Plot Keywords:

virus | celebrity | injection | extreme makeover | security camera | 

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Taglines:

What If You Could Feel Like They Do ...

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 2012 (Iceland)

Also Known As:

Antivirus

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 3,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Films, TF1 International, Téléfilm Canada

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During production, Sarah Gadon and Caleb Landry Jones both decided not to meet or rehearse prior to the filming of the hotel room scene where Syd takes a sample of Hannah Geist's blood. They both felt it would help preserve the separation of the characters within the story.

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Connections

References Broken Tulips (2008)

User Reviews

A unique take on our fixation with all things celebrity in this Stylish SciFi/Thriller • 7/10

Brandon Cronenberg is clearly looking to make his mark with a unique take on our fascination with celebrity. This is a very well polished and slick movie for a debut and he has obviously been around the film making world far more than most new directors but he fortunately hasn't allowed anyone's style to effect his own. This film is paced quite slowly but thanks to the originality of the story we're kept interested however this movie could easily been 18 minutes shorter to quicken things up more. This would have been far better as an 80 minute feature.

Caleb Landry Jones is undoubtedly a fine actor and even though it took me a while to warm to his character it was excellent when I did because his pale features were ideal for this role. I thought using Malcolm McDowell was a nice touch and I couldn't believe how many film credits he has according to IMDb, 217! Wow. The strange thing is, I can't remember the last film I saw him in as you'd think he'd be in everything but apparently not. Anyhoo, the acting is pretty good, production is almost too good for a low budget Indie and Cronenberg Jr has done very well writing and directing this. I'm almost certain that this film should get the studios interested in offering him a project or two.

If you don't mind a slow pace then this unique little gem is very rewarding. You can also watch the lovely Sarah Gadon smile (Mmm).

Recommended

Score: 7/10

e-mail: Nav Q - [e-mail]