Call it a discount Possessor or The White Lotus; Infinity Pool is a very wacky yet discouragingly thin psychosis feature that doesn’t seem to know where to call its quits or to land.
And even when writing out the plotline, it still doesn’t pull enough with its neon colors and erotic orgies to make it cohesive enough. James Foster (Alexander Skarsgard) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) spend time at a resort in Latoka when they stumble upon another couple, Gabi (Mia Goth) and Alban (Jalil Lespert). The four decide to spend an odd time in the countryside (a somewhat graphic moment occurs between James and Gabi), though not allowed in the parameters of the country, and when James accidentally hits a man with the car on the drive back, all changes going forward. The main couple gets arrested, and without diving deep into spoilers, their way out is experimentation with cloning procedures for a hefty price, bringing much more mind-boggling elements to the screen.
Director Brandon Cronenberg gets in on the action with on-brand body horror, filled with wet and bloody moments onscreen and multiple trippy moments with bizarre thoughts on genital mutations and flickering moments. A fantastic, committed performance by Skarsgard and a surprisingly great bit of villainy from Goth make it all the more enticing, and their turbocharged sexual moments keep the feature afloat. But the practicality of attempting to dig deep further into tortuous, carnal mode becomes repetitive without much sustenance to keep it rolling. And unfortunately, with all the little gags it tries to tag along, it becomes amusing that it tampers with its thriller tone and objectives.
The thought of exploring the decadent rich, screwing the indigenous folk, and getting away with it might be satirical. Still, coupled with the overbearing flamboyant colors, it comes off as jejune and a theme lost in the fog as the feature moves along with more ridiculous stunts.
Bringing along a grisly weird direction might satisfy audiences, but Infinity Pool is too fixated on freaking everyone out that it ebbs to an unsatisfying close.
