Cosmopolis

After a stint in more reality based gritty crime affairs, with the likes of A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises, David Cronenberg returns more to the body horror shockers that made his name, with this exploration of society set in a surreal not-too distant future.

Robert Pattinson (of Twilight fame) portrays young billionaire asset manager Eric Packer, a man who appears to have the world in his hands, living luxuriously, expensively and promiscuously. During one ride in his limousine across Manhattan, as he aims to acquire a haircut, his world begins to crumble slowly around him with some devastating speculation concerning his currency. He soon embarks on a bizarre and surreal odyssey of self-destruction as he encounters a number of colourful and strange characters who begin to tear his world apart.

Pattinson is finally given a chance to prove himself as a serious actor and truly escape the Twilight label, proving he can do much more than sparkle in the sunlight. Cronenberg is the perfect director to test Pattinson’s range, pushing the young actor to unexpected and dark territories, weaning out a performance which truly redefines Pattinson’s career.

A competitor at Cannes, Cosmopolis is purely designed to take you along on Eric’s crazy roller coaster of self-destruction as he begins to see that his whole life is a self-contradiction, and deals with the psychological effects of being faced with such an existential threat. And, this being Cronenberg, you can expect the subject matter to be handled with a razor sharp satirical edge.

Andrew Gaudion