Cosmopolis

Cosmopolis

Directed by David Cronenberg

Though it doesn't achieve the likes of previous Cronenberg works, Cosmopolis is still a strong feature from the Canadian director, and not one to be overlooked.

What instantly struck me about this movie was how it managed to combine surreal, yet down-to-earth qualities almost seamlessly. Reality plays a small, yet enormous role in this film, as it takes very real issues and blends them with elements completely foreign to the world as we know it. Some viewers may find this alternate form of our reality slightly off-putting, but I found it quite intriguing.

Robert Pattinson, the actor we've all come to know as "that guy from Twilight" proves here (as he did previously, in the unjustly panned 'Remember Me') that despite his uninspired, zombie-like performances in the teen vampire saga, he has the ability to act every bit as strongly as he has the ability to brood and ominously stare off into the distance. I, personally, feel he has great potential, and though this may not be the strongest performance of the year, it is definitely a noteworthy effort. The casting was quite excellent, as I feel he portrayed the cold, distant part as well as any other more matured actor could have, with steely charm and charisma.

Other cast members, who often only appear in single scenes, deliver perfectly adequate performances, giving Pattinson much to play off of, resulting in many intellectual face-offs and confrontations. Many of these scenes may feel too staged to feel genuine, but in this film's reality, they are all too fitting. Paul Giamatti, Juliette Binoche, Samantha Morton, Jay Baruchel, and several others, all in small, yet crucial roles, give Pattinson (as well as the character he portrays) exactly what is needed to keep the film interesting. Each scene is almost its own story - and there are many memorable scenes to be found in this film.

As much as I enjoyed several of Cronenberg's more generic fare (most notably Eastern Promises and A History Of Violence), it was nice to see him back to a more experimental, surrealist style of film-making; especially after the supremely upsetting 'A Dangerous Method'. Whether or not you will enjoy this movie almost solely relies on your ability to withstand the pseudo-intellectual ramblings, morally ambiguous, and emotionally distant nature of this film and its values. What does it all stand for? I don't know. But I found it intriguing, well-written, and wholly engaging throughout the entire running time, so I have no complaints.