'Vivarium' Is Cuckoo

Vivarium tells the story of a young couple (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) who decides to purchase their own house.  The peculiar estate agent (Jonathan Aris) they check with takes them to a new suburb development called Yonder.  Like many suburban neighborhoods, the house units in Yonder look identical, but there’s also a sense of otherworldliness to the place.  While showing the couple around their potential new house, the estate agent suddenly vanishes.  Soon, the couple discovers the chilling, paranormal labyrinth nature of Yonder, as no matter what route they take, they are unable to find the exit, always finding themselves returning to the very same house they started from.

Trapped there, the two are forced to start living in the house.  A delivery box containing food – which they find have no taste – and other necessities mysteriously arrive on their doorsteps periodically.  Moreover, a package containing a baby is also delivered to them, and it’s implied that they must raise him as their own in order to be released from their supernatural confinement – which is no easy task as he proves to be incessantly creepy and obnoxious.

My choice of the word “cuckoo” to describe Vivarium is intended to have a double meaning.  Primarily, I’m calling it a crazy film.  But it’s also a hint of what the plot’s about as – this is somewhat of a mild SPOILER – the horrifying parasitic life cycle of the cuckoo bird serves as a parallel to its overarching storyline.

The premise is instantly intriguing, and the execution is engagingly eerie and satisfyingly imaginative. Its horror aspect, particularly, is effective since the source of scares has basis on what modern young adults – especially couples – are typically anxious about in real life (e.g. buying a house, raising a kid, etc.), but in the form of their absurd extremes.

The script nails a balance of subtle and straightforward.  Thus, though some thinking is required in watching it, one doesn’t have to expend much mental energies in order to follow the narrative and unlock its undertones. However, there are parts that, while you understand what’s going on, you don’t get what its point is – i.e. how they fit in the overall narrative and themes (especially that scene revealing different dimensions occupying one space).  In addition, while the twists and turns are adequate, I was hoping for a more mindblowing reveal.

In the end, I really dig Vivarium.  It’s the right kind of weird and metaphorical science fiction thriller that I find fresh and stimulating.