I saw "Splice" last night, directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as Clive and Elsa, these ultra-hip genetics researchers who apparently craft genetic chimeras for fun and profit, under the aegis of Newstead Pharmaceuticals, their employer. This movie definitely draws from David Cronenberg as its thematic polestar, although it isn't nearly as cynical or dark-hearted or political as Cronenberg). All the same, the movie is entertaining old-school Horror, as the power couple create Dren, this chimera that happens to have human DNA in the mix.
The movie is really a fable of parenthood, the perils of having a teenaged daughter under your roof, although, disappointingly, I think the movie didn't dwell nearly enough on the relationship between the three of them -- despite the foray into Dr. Frankenstein-style parenting, Clive and Elsa show only somewhat more parenting acumen than Dr. Frankenstein did -- clearly, the "could it be done?" aspect dominated over the "now what?" nature of the experiment. Elsa has deep mommy issues -- both personally (in terms of even wanting a kid) and in terms of her clearly-troubled relationship with her own mom (who is never seen, but her presence is felt, just the same).
Dren, the chimera they create, is the most compelling character in the mix, although Polley and Brody do a great job with what they're given -- I only wish they were given more and the biotech company angle was minimized in favor of the dysfunctional family trio they created. As it is, it's clear that their research work still is front and center, and Dren is largely sidelined to episodic snapshots in the barn they ultimately keep her in.
The actress Delphine Chanéac does a marvelous job giving life to Dren, who becomes both more and less than human as the story evolves. Although not speaking, she is very evocative in her pantomimed performance, and speaks volumes without saying a word. It's hard not to be both sympathetic for Dren and alarmed by her as the biotech fledgling literally flexes her wings and faces the world that her surrogate parents have done nothing to prepare her for (indeed, Clive and Elsa, despite feeling something for Dren, clearly have no idea how to be good parents -- any halfway good parent can watch what they do and sympathize, while also thinking "Okay, you guys are screwing up royally, here.")
Things spiral out of control in the story, and the ending's unfortunately a little sloppy -- actually, not entirely true: the ending-ending is dark and compelling, but the climax is unfortunately slapdash and while they wrote for it in the story, and prepared for it, it still ends up a little convoluted and undermines the work Chanéac did up to that critical point. While the "anything goes" aspect of her chimerical nature is understandable, and it's certainly alien as hell, I liked Dren as Chanéac and wanted more of her than the movie offered.
Complaints about the movie are mild -- namely the hipper-than-thou lab personages of Clive and Elsa, their emo/goth lab workers, the superfluous presence of Clive's brother in the lab (he's not even a placeholder, frankly -- he's just so much black hair-dyed meat), the rival/handler Barlow, and the company woman -- all of them take up space and don't particularly add much to the overall narrative arc of the story. Sure, the biggest, most chimerical monster in the movie is Newstead Pharmaceutical, and some Cronenberg-style nods are given to that, but somehow the blows don't quite land the way they need to.
But, Elsa's relentlessness, Clive's fecklessness, and Dren's monstrosity anchor the movie and make it an enjoyable, if not perfect effort. The dark humor in it plays nicely, and I laughed out loud both with it and at it at various points -- ludicrous and horrible at the same time. I think a little more attention to the relationship between Elsa, Clive, and Dren and less of the corporate angle would've made the movie better still.
* * * .75
