High Life focuses on a group of criminals serving death sentences that are sent on a mission to locate alternative energy sources in space. This includes - among others - Monte, played by Robert Pattinson, Tcherny, played by Andre Benjamin, Boyse, played by Mia Goth, and the ship’s doctor Dibs, played by Juliette Binoche. As the group keeps striking out with finding any sustainable energy, they also have to control taking out their wild sexual and violent urges on one another.
The story is told in a nonlinear fashion, and has an incredibly experimental tone about it. The film constantly cuts back and forth between its characters on the ship as well as them in other scenarios, particularly Monte. The film never really flows smoothly from one scene to another, suddenly cutting between settings with no real rhyme or reason. The idea is to give the viewer the same disoriented feel as this group does as they go on this wild goose chase of a mission, but this feel seems often to the movie’s detriment as it can be difficult at times to truly follow what’s going on.
The movie tends to be very slow moving, with its 110-minute runtime often being felt. The plot isn’t all that engaging, as the film can often be self-indulgent in its overly sexual and violent imagery. There are plenty of scenes that just involve characters taking part in sexual activity that feels like it goes on for way longer than it should, and often feel repetitive. They sometimes seem to be there for the sake of being there. While they do add to the overall unsettling feel of the film’s setting, they never really advance the story.
And even when there is time spent with these characters, it’s rare to get really invested in what they do or what they say. There’s definitely an emotional distance between the characters and the audiences, with many of the shots being wide shots, with characters seen at a distance, while a drone-like soundtrack plays in the background. Many actors speak barely above a whisper, outside of Pattinson and Benjamin, and rarely feel emotionally engaging, and in turn are difficult to connect with. There are some interesting moments, such as a few moments in which characters are seen slowly losing their minds, but these feel scarce, as many of the character moments are often scenes of them just sitting around, thinking in silence, and that’s about it.
High Life is visually stunning, and shot very well, but it only really stands out on a technical level. In terms of good story and characters, this isn’t the strongest. There are some solid performances from Robert Pattinson and Andre Benjamin, but rather than focusing on a coherent story or solid character building, it’s often caught up in just conveying images, with characters either sitting around or engaging in graphic sexual or violent activity. And these moments often feel like they add little to the plot, leading to a disjointed story and an overall frustrating experience.
Recommendation: Avoid It
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