• Direction
• Acting
• Story
• Screenplay
• Characters

Director: David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg’s latest effort, Cosmopolis, is a lot of things: ballsy, unique, artistic, and baffling. However, this film is not for everyone, and I doubt Cronenberg had a very particular audience in mind; he’s a man known for tickling his own fancy with lavish, and often times, outlandish plots and characters. He’ll leave you wondering, “What the fuck did I just watch?” But a week later you’ll find his bold characters staring you down in a crowd of streetwalkers, “Remember me?” If Cronenberg’s mission was to keep his audience slightly disturbed and confused yet intrigued, the man succeeded.

Those of you attending Cosmopolis just to support Robert Pattinson and his charming looks will not enjoy the film. You might was well stay in your rooms and search for more Pattinson pictures to add to your overflowing collection. Cronenberg challenges his audience to really look past the surface. Glance away for a second and you’ll be lost forever.

The Synopsis:

Adapted from Don DeLillo’s prescient novel of the same title, Cosmopolis tells the story of Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson — a 28-year-old billionaire and Wall Street master in route to get his haircut at his usual barbering joint way across town.

If it were any other day, he’d have his royal mane cut and that’d be the end of it. But of course it’s not just any day: the city’s transportation is basically stagnant due to a presidential motorcade, the funeral of a rap star, and some very pissed off anarchists whose mascot is “The Rat.” And during all of this he’s losing money faster than his limo can move due to a bad bet against the Chinese yuan. But the man still wants his haircut.

The Good

Try Setting a Story in a Limousine

As a writer I found the film’s setting quite intriguing. 80% of the story took place in a bulletproof limousine full with digital devices by which Eric monitors his billions. What could possibly take place in a long white vehicle to deserve the plot’s main setting? Sex, long winded conversations, and a prostate exam.

Eric sits like king on his throne, as his clients, hookups, and daily doctor tend to him. We’re introduced to an array of characters, whom we actually never see again; they enter the limo, they speak, and they vanish. The way Cronenberg went about featuring the cramped quarters was brilliant. However, his wife (Sarah Gadon), the person Eric knows the least, draws the billionaire out of his vehicle time and time again.

Character Relationships

The characters made this film. Each was grounded, not in reality, but grounded in their actions and dialogue. Even though 99.9% of the audience won’t understand what the hell they’re talking about, behind all the nonsensical conversations stand true characters.

I found Eric and Elise Shifrin’s relationship the most intriguing. You have a horny rich boy who’s willing to do anything to have sex with his newly wed, whom he hardly knows. And there’s Elise, a cold and determined woman with the ability to read Eric like one of her hard-back tomes. “You smell like sex,” she says to him time and time again. Both are stiff and almost emotionless, but under their monotonous speech lies something deeper. Elise is the only person who he’ll leave his limo for, meeting her for lunch and dinner. Their conversations are more like fast paced tennis match primarily consisting of volleys. The dialogue seemed to have taken on a David Mamet-esque style — short, brutally honest, and to the point.

Some may criticize Robert Pattinson and Sarah Gadon’s for their stiff delivery, but I believe that was the point. Compare these two characters with other characters’ physicality and vocal patterns. You’ll find that Eric and Elise have somehow grown cold due to their circumstances. There was no “bad acting” on either of the actors’ part.

The Monologues

Man, does Cronenberg enjoy his monologues. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, I didn’t know what they were saying, I only knew that I had somehow fallen deeply in love with the English language. There were moments when I could’ve sworn English wasn’t my first language.

The actors handled these monologues like champs. Cronenberg tends to film in long continuous shots. Technically these aren’t tracking shots, the camera may follow the characters for a few feet, but for the most part it’s the actor and the camera in one position. The use of the long shots make for an impressive and personal experience as the actors spew out these beautifully written monologues.

Paul Giamatti delivers as Benno Levine, a bitter man who feels overlooked by society. He’s angry and pissed as he sits Eric down for a good one-on-one talk that may be his last. Samantha Morton delivers a chilling monologue as Eric’s financial confidant, Vija. She enters the limo just in time for Eric’s prostate exam, and delivers her monologue with mastery as she warns the young billionaire of his mounting financial troubles. You’re unsure if somehow Eric’s enjoying his exam as his doctor pokes and prods his rear end.

Cronenberg’s Direction

Unless you’re a cinephile or were born and raised in Canada, you’ve probably only heard of Cronenberg once or twice in your life. Yet, he’s been ranked above Ridley Scott, Jean-Luc Godard, and Steven Spielberg on several “Greatest Directors” lists. The man’s responsible for the psychological drama A Dangerous Method, starring Michael Fassbender & Keira Knightly, A History of Violence, and The Fly.

Before the release of Cosmopolis, Cronenberg was slammed by fan boys for saying The Dark Knight Rises, “is adolescent in its core. That has always been its appeal, and I think people who are saying, you know, Dark Knight Rises is supreme cinema art, I don’t think they know what the f— they’re talking about.” The director is a fan of Christopher Nolan and stated that he believes Memento is his best film.

When viewing Cosmopolis with Cronenberg’s opinion of the superhero genre in mind, it forces you to answer the question: Would people rather attend a movie to see mindless action with simple themes and characters wrapped and packaged in a nice bow, or would people rather see a film that was challenging, both mentally and visually?

Cronenberg’s films will make you contemplate the present; you’ll leave the theater wondering what Cronenberg was trying to communicate about the world’s current state. But not everyone is looking for that type of experience when going to the movies. Now a days, we’re more fascinated with films that give us more bang for our buck.

The Bad

What Did They Just Say?

The dialogue will leave you in the dark most of the time, but you will be able keep up with the basic storyline. Cronenberg prides himself on not spoon feeding his audience members a single thing. He has no interest in watering down dialogue for the sake of explanation and comprehension, and I applaud him for that.

However, how much is too much? Leaving the theatre, I heard 60% of the crowd whispering, “What the hell just happened? I didn’t understand anything.” The other 40% were probably left questioning their IQ levels. Not in any circumstance should the dialogue be so obscure that you lose your audience. But imagine if we had more directors and artists like Cronenberg; we’d be forced to understand complicated subjects instead of bypassing it as “confusing drivel.”

Exactly What Am I Supposed to Hear/Watch?

Visually, there’s a lot going on. You’ll find your attention being pulled in several different directions. For example, while trying your best to keep up with the dialogue between Eric and another character in the limousine, rioters spray paint the bullet proof vessel with messages and images. It’s hard enough trying to process the dialogue, but when you have other actions vying for your attention it makes for a frustrating experience.

Overall Score: 3.5 Stars out of 5

This intellectual, slow-building dark film is not for everyone. Fans of Cronenberg, this one’s for you. It’s thick with dialogue and social themes. On the surface, the characters appear cold and reticent but you’ll find that their desires lie hidden beneath speech patterns and mannerisms. Everyone should give Cosmopolis a try, it’ll be worth the rental price come January 1st, 2013.

‘Cosmopolis’ Trailer