In the dangerously near future, environmental collapse is such that world leaders have had to resort to draconian measures. In order to save part of the population, another must sacrifice itself. It is to this vast program of voluntary euthanasia that Charles, a rich patriarch who brought together his children Jared, Rachel, Noah and Ashley, decided to subscribe for one last supper. However, when Dawn, Charles’s second wife, disappears before the procedure which was also to take her away, the official in charge of the killings demands a second body. So here are the offspring ready to kill each other. With Humane (Human in VF), Caitlin Cronenberg offers a deliciously dark comedy.
From the outset, the concept on which this first feature film by the director is based, who, to stay with the theme of family, follows in the footsteps of her brother Brandon Cronenberg (Possessor / Possessor ; Infinity Pool / Overflow) and their father David Cronenberg (Scanners, Crash), lacks neither potential nor bite. Thus, after decades of having failed to achieve their targets in terms of pollution reduction, large nations are no longer able to achieve their quota of voluntary euthanasia.
At a press briefing in the background of the opening sequence, “Administration” spokesperson Jared (Jay Baruchel, recently seen in BlackBerry), discusses different solutions, such as extending volunteering to children, or even conscription… For the moment, we will stick to a draw. Obviously, the dice are loaded, and it is the poor and the undocumented who will be the losers of this rigged lottery, as Jared quickly revealed to his family.
Massacre game
The majority of the plot is confined to the vast mansion where brothers and sisters soon engage in a lethal game of hide and seek after identifying the weak link: Noah, an ex-addict in recovery.
Occasionally, we are transported in the government company van parked in front of the property, and where the “euthanasia” official (Enrico Colantoni, Keith Mars in the series Veronica Mars) engages in a philosophical-ethical debate with Mia (Sirena Gulamgaus, Pavani in Code 8 — Part II), the daughter of Rachel (Emily Hampshire, Stevie in the series Schitt’s Creek). These last segments make you smile while asking good questions.
With its mixture of macabre humor and bloody violence, the deadly hunt in the mansion is at times reminiscent of the delicious Ready or Not (Ready not ready), by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
The difference is that Caitlin Cronenberg’s film really has things to say about the state of the world today and in the future if nothing is done. Certainly, the speech is not subtle, as it is often explained in the dialogue, but it is no less relevant.
The talented performers, led by Emily Hampshire, also take obvious – and contagious – pleasure in this game of massacre. In the face of all this blood, the expression “washing one’s dirty linen with the family” takes on a, let’s say, different meaning.