Antiviral (2012)

In a blackly satirical near future, a thriving industry sells celebrity illnesses to their obsessed fans. Employee Syd March's attempts to exploit the system backfire when they involve him in a potentially deadly mystery.

Director:

Brandon Cronenberg

Writer:

Brandon Cronenberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Caleb Landry Jones, Lisa Berry, Sarah Gadon

4 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Caleb Landry Jones	...	Syd March
Sarah Gadon	...	Hannah Geist
Lisa Berry	...	Lucas Clinic Receptionist
Douglas Smith	...	Edward Porris
Nenna Abuwa	...	Aria Noble
Donna Goodhand	...	Woman in Waiting Room
Adam Bogen	...	Lucas Clinic Security Guard
Salvatore Antonio	...	Topp
Matt Watts	...	Mercer
Dawn Greenhalgh	...	Jane
Katie Bergin	...	Talk Show Host
Nicholas Campbell	...	Dorian
Lara Jean Chorostecki	...	Michelle
Reid Morgan	...	Derek Lessing
Elitsa Bako	...	Vera

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:

looking at oneself in a mirror | celebrity | sick | near future | injection | 

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Taglines:

Inject some celebrity into your life.

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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 France

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 2013 (France)

Also Known As:

Antivirus

Filming Locations:

Bel-Air Grill, 673 Barton Street East, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 3,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance, TF1 International, Téléfilm Canada

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Almost half of the content of the film was shot during pre-production. This includes the vast amount of playback footage and the many stills needed to decorate the sets and to be used with props.

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Goofs

When Syd injects himself, he taps on his arm, like one would do when they are trying to make a vein pop out. He doesn't inject into a vein, so tapping on his arm is pointless and does absolutely nothing.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lucas Clinic Receptionist: [on the phone] Yes. Yes. Wonderful, I'll transfer you to booking.
[to visitor]
Lucas Clinic Receptionist: Can I help you?
Edward Porris: Edward Porris. I have an appointment.
Lucas Clinic Receptionist: Porris...
[hands him a clipboard]
Lucas Clinic Receptionist: Just have a seat.

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Connections

Featured in Film '72: Episode dated 29 January 2013 (2013)

User Reviews

Great creepy idea but lacks tension or thrills

Syd March (Caleb Landry Jones) works for Lucas Clinic which buys viruses from celebrities to be injected into obsessed fans who are willing to pay. They have exclusive rights to celebrity Hannah Geist (Sarah Gadon) which is very popular. Then he harvests and injects the Geist sample into himself. Others like celebrity butcher Arvid replicates celebrity cells and sells them as meat. Hannah Geist dies and Syd starts to get sicker.

This is a great idea for an original indie. The script needs a few more passes to elevate the tension and add some thrills. The idea seems to be all there is in this movie. It's not particularly exciting. It also needs a section at the beginning to do an exposition on what the products are about, the science behind it and the legal ramifications. Brandon Cronenberg should have made a fake TV ad for the product. It's also probably important to bring in the law early to explain the legal world these products exist in. I love the machine that he gets hooked up to. It's definitely has the Cronenberg style. However the movie lacks any energy. It's creepy but not much more than that. I like the weird creepiness. I'm just waiting for Brandon to take it to the next level.