High Life is obviously a polarizing film, as if it weren't obvious by looking at the user reviews. Grown out of the gardens of Solaris, I feel it is worth of those origins. It tells the story of ex-cons sent into space to perform scientific experiments. One man has a daughter, and they journey to complete their mission, to extract energy from a black hole.
Similar to Kris Kelvin, we have a sad-eyed protagonist with a tragic past; unlike Kelvin, he's trying to make a good man out of himself, and reaches the cusp of heroics. What really stands out about High Life, to me, is its direction and cinematography - mesmerizing in its style, it hits us with nightmare images again and again, and sucks the viewer into its universe, allowing those receptive to it to feel its lonely, turned loving atmosphere.
There are things about this film that scare me. According to the protagonist's final report, some 210 years have passed on Earth since they launched 18 years ago. That makes me think not only about how many have died or which nations have fallen, but whether there are any humans left on Earth at all. Could our protagonist and his daughter now be alone in the universe, humanity's only representatives? This sense of isolation is heightened in a scene where they discover another ship. Could this be the fate of humankind - relict survivors in space? Or can our protagonists give humankind on Earth a wealth of resources and riches? Are they heroes or lost souls? Does it matter if they have each other, and their mission? High Life is an abstract painting - see in it what you will.
Similar to Kris Kelvin, we have a sad-eyed protagonist with a tragic past; unlike Kelvin, he's trying to make a good man out of himself, and reaches the cusp of heroics. What really stands out about High Life, to me, is its direction and cinematography - mesmerizing in its style, it hits us with nightmare images again and again, and sucks the viewer into its universe, allowing those receptive to it to feel its lonely, turned loving atmosphere.
There are things about this film that scare me. According to the protagonist's final report, some 210 years have passed on Earth since they launched 18 years ago. That makes me think not only about how many have died or which nations have fallen, but whether there are any humans left on Earth at all. Could our protagonist and his daughter now be alone in the universe, humanity's only representatives? This sense of isolation is heightened in a scene where they discover another ship. Could this be the fate of humankind - relict survivors in space? Or can our protagonists give humankind on Earth a wealth of resources and riches? Are they heroes or lost souls? Does it matter if they have each other, and their mission? High Life is an abstract painting - see in it what you will.