Christopher Webster [Celluloid 09.14.15] horror cult fantasy arthouse



I'm very excited to hear that Lucile Hadzihalilovic (Innocence) is back with a new film called Evolution that reportedly straddles the line between horror and surreal fantasy. The film is also said to be inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau.

Debuting at TIFF 2015 in the Vanguard section, the film is about a ten year old boy living on a remote island that is solely inhabited by women and young boys. It's worth noting that Innocence was about a mysterious all girls academy, so we're obviously dealing with interesting thematic echoes here.


Synopsis:
A young boy living in a mysterious, isolated seaside clinic uncovers the sinister purposes of his keepers, in this exquisitely shot blend of body horror and surreal fantasy from director Lucile Hadzihalilovic (INNOCENCE).

Ten-year old Nicolas lives an austere and isolated life with his mother in a remote seaside community populated by women and other little boys about his age, but seemingly devoid of adult males. In a hospital overlooking the tempestuous ocean, the boys are all subjected to regular medical treatments – or, perhaps, some mysterious experiment. Only Nicolas seems to question what’s happening to him and his friends.

He finds an unexpected ally in a young nurse, Stella, whose kindness is a break from the severity that all the other women seem to reserve for their young charges. Increasingly suspicious that his mother and the nurses are lying to him and that something ominous is going on, he follows the women at night, determined to find out what they are up to. What he discovers on the beach signals the beginning of a nightmare from which he’s helpless to escape.

Influenced by H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, this mesmerizing film approaches the concept of evolution from a truly unique perspective.


Evolution stars Max Brebant, Roxane Duran and Julie-Marie Parmentier.




Recommended Release: Innocence




Follow Christopher Webster on Twitter.





Via: The Film Stage

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