Director
Lorcan Finnegan
(WITHOUT NAME)

Starring
Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris, Senan Jennings and Eanna Hardwicke

Before you consider taking a wander into Yonder, there are some observations I’ve made during my stay you ought to be aware of prior to point of entry! But first, what is Yonder I hear you ask? Well, to mimic the welcoming words of the strangely behaving real estate agent, Martin (Jonathan Aris), who leads young couple Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) there, it is a wonderful development that has all you need and all you want! It also boasts an obvious artificial appearance, has no street signage and the exterior of each home is identical in appearance. Shortly after their guided open house tour, Gemma and Tom discover that getting into Yonder is much easier than getting out!

At first, I wondered if now is really the best time to release a film whose two lead characters are forcibly social distancing from the rest of society! You know, we’re living in a time of COVID-19, city lock downs and self-isolation, so VIVARIUM doesn’t exactly sound like the most ideal form of escapism right now. Well then, upon its arrival and availability to watch on screens at home, my advice is to socially distance yourself from VIVARIUM, which should be sent straight to quarantine!

You see, my rationale for such stringent decision making is based upon what more VIVARIUM could have achieved from its premise and early establishments as opposed to what actually transpires and how it concludes. I cannot recall the last time I watched a movie that led itself to boundless opportunities and various avenues to explore that are ostensibly unsighted. If your imagination doesn’t venture far beyond where those behind the conception and development of VIVARIUM are willing to go, then your capacity to remain intrigued could survive longer than my own. Its initial mystery is worth a look and there are some bright ideas present, but it soon becomes apparent these are too few in volume to sustain what it has in store for us. I lost a great deal of interest in this project when the plot got stagnant and the actions of its characters grew repetitive. An avoidance of explanation to grant plausibility towards its cheaply designed setting and questions that follow after its conclusion irked me further.

2 stars

Viewer Discretion
M (Mature themes, sex scenes and coarse language)

Trailer
VIVARIUM

Moviedoc thanks Umbrella Entertainment and Annette Smith: Ned & Co for providing the screener link to watch and review this film.

VIVARIUM is available on Video on Demand via Google Play, iTunes, Fetch, Telstra & Umbrella Entertainment from April 16 and on Foxtel on Demand from May 6

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc
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