Successfully moody movie. It's not particularly clear what's going on but it doesn't matter much, since the characters are a grim bunch and we're not encouraged to like them or identify with them. That's the problem, really. It may be we're being invited to consider even these damaged, damaging souls as worth compassion as any other, which is fair enough, but beyond that it's difficult to know what's at stake. I left the cinema with a feeling that the movie wasn't worth making. It's not as if we don't get clues to meaning. There's a set-up that's revealed to us early on, so this isn't as spoiler -- we're watching criminals paying for their crimes by being put on a prison ship, lives held to be worthless. But this felt to me like a token gesture, a nod towards keeping the audience in the loop, and it weakens the film. Better to know even less, as in, say, LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD, where the poetry of the piece lies in juxtaposition of powerful images and words. Unfortunately, HIGH LIFE doesn't come anywhere near that.
The acting doesn't help.With the exception of Juliette Binoche, a megawatt screen presence, completely compelling whenever she's there, pretty much everyone else is mediocre at best. The leading role is played by Robert Pattinson, whose male-model features are enhanced rather than expunged by his rough 'n' tough character look. His best scenes, spontaneous and genuine, are early on when he's working with a baby. Otherwise he's blank. He's clearly considered a good actor by some people, but in a film with Binoche, who really IS a good actor, the difference in quality really shows.
The tech side of the film is good, especially the cinematography and the music. But overall it's disappointingly mundane.
The acting doesn't help.With the exception of Juliette Binoche, a megawatt screen presence, completely compelling whenever she's there, pretty much everyone else is mediocre at best. The leading role is played by Robert Pattinson, whose male-model features are enhanced rather than expunged by his rough 'n' tough character look. His best scenes, spontaneous and genuine, are early on when he's working with a baby. Otherwise he's blank. He's clearly considered a good actor by some people, but in a film with Binoche, who really IS a good actor, the difference in quality really shows.
The tech side of the film is good, especially the cinematography and the music. But overall it's disappointingly mundane.