High Life (2018) is an extremely patient and contemplative drama set on the cosmic level. Actors Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Mia Goth, and André Benjamin play a group of criminals who are sent on a mission to a black hole under the falsehood that they would be harnessing energy, but rather they are subjected to scientific experiments. Though Claire Denis’ film is set on a ship cruising through space under the constant looming presence of death, it is very much not a traditional science-fiction film - if anything the film is much more of a character exploration with the dark emptiness of space merely serving as the background. The trailer for the film implies much more of a suspenseful-eerie space journey than what the film’s eeriness is actually characterized by - an echoic feeling of abandonment. Denis succeeds in creating a film that meanders through both the numbness and warmth of a human condition that has been exaggerated by the circumstances of a black hole expedition, but audiences and critics are having mixed feelings.
On sites like Letterboxd, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic, films will see both ends of the spectrum when it comes to reviews, some positive, some negative, and some in the middle. Typically a film will stand out generally though, whether it has a mostly positive or mostly negative reception, or maybe even mostly middle of the road reviews and opinions, it stands out as being bad, mediocre, or good with crossover here and there - a general consensus can be seen. A film like The Godfather (1972) has received universal acclaim from both critics and regular audiences, but it still has its share of detractors claiming it to be overrated. Likewise, a film such as I Know Who Killed Me (2007) has received overwhelming dislike and resentment, and yet some view the film as being something that does not deserve all the hate and criticism it has garnered. More rarely there are films that both critics and audiences agree to be painfully average with nothing incredibly striking as being particularly good or bad, something like this can be seen in The Mountain Between Us (2017) where the story and the actors are fine, just kind of lifeless and hollow without any real conviction or major successes or mistakes for audiences to grab on to. High Life has succeeded in being a combination of all three: it has received praise and love from both critics and audiences alike, harsh and cutting negative reviews, and reviews that acknowledge both the good and the bad of the film and come away with a very middle of the road review - however, these reviewers acknowledge that it is not an average film, but incredible and poignant in some aspects and pointless and boring in others. A film with high highs for some, low lows for others, and no real notable or standout impressions from some.
From the positive review aspect, there is a great variety of what audiences and critics have latched onto from the film, deeming it in their minds to be a successful piece of art. Fellow film director Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Tangerine) says on his Letterboxd account that the film “will probably be one of [his] faves of the year. [His] fave Mia Goth performance so far. And the Yorick Le Saux cinematography is a nice blend of film and digital.” Film reviewer for IndieWire David Ehrlich calls the film mesmerizing and elusive and claims it to be “not your average science-fiction movie” and “as horrifying and ambiguous a space odyssey as you might expect from the singular mind behind Trouble Every Day and Beau Travail, High Life is a pensive and profound study of human life on the brink of the apocalypse.” Editor for the Roger Ebert review site, Matt Zoller Seitz, gives it four out of four stars, adding that the film “becomes a kaleidoscopic experience, more so than a traditional story.” He even goes on later in his review to acknowledge that the film will be divisive, a kind of film where people come out of the theater and debate the film, “not just about what happened and what it meant, but whether it was a good movie-and if not, precisely which expectations it failed to satisfy, and whether it ever intended to satisfy them”. That seems to be the kind of film High Life positions itself to be, an alienating film that creates discussion about what creates a ‘good’ film: something highly visual with a compelling story that the audience can relate to and understand, or something that pushes the boundaries and conventions of filmmaking with powerful and divisive images of “brutal violence, explicit sex, and up-close views of blood, sweat, urine, and semen.” Maybe that’s why some audiences were extremely alienated and came out of the film with incredibly negative reviews.
“No fun at all,” “no rhyme or reason,” “unlikeable character,” “a muddled storyline with no payoff at the end,” “one of the worst films I have ever seen,” and a good summary for all the negative reviews - “The movie works only as a metaphor of the universe: empty and meaningless.” A big group of people did not like this movie, and feel very justified in expressing that online. Part of the reason for this, like with most of what the reviewers point out, is that people had “quite high expectations on this one.” All of the people behind the film have garnered a specific type of reputation where their names can be attached to something and audiences will flock towards it. Claire Denis, Robert Pattinson, and A24 have worked hard for their status as working with and creating good film products, so coupling that with a promising trailer, it only makes sense that audiences would go to the theater. Unfortunately, that anticipation was limited to a specific comfort zone for most viewers, and High Life tiptoed on the edges before leaving the zone for the outer reaches of pace. Most of the positive reviews for the film points out in one way or the other that it is going to be “challenging, confounding,” but unfortunately to get to the “ultimately rewarding” aspects that some talk about, viewers have to trudge through dirty and haunting questions of humanity. The average viewer has grown accustomed to that dirty trudge and story in other films from A24 and Robert Pattinson, but those journeys for the characters in the film come with answers for the audience. This film is different in that the journey is visual and Denis uses the characters in the film as an agent for the audience to explore and wonder about existence and the uncomfortable emptiness that comes with death, but a lot of audience members did not think that this is what they were signing up for.
Some critics and audiences will also just break down the film down to its foundation, looking at the pros and cons trying to weigh them and come up with how good the film was. A reviewer (qabas q) on Rotten Tomatoes sums it up very well with their review, “The story is really new, but it came out way boring. I kept waiting for something unexpected to happen, something to elevate my heart rate, but nothing happened. If the duration was shorter, it may have been more exciting to watch.” Another reviewer (Mirza Mohd S0) recognizes that the film “is a provocative, challenging yet speculative sci-fi film which despite its themes is undercut by its non-linear plot, graphic depictions and slow pace.” It is a strange film that painfully lingers on scenes where nothing is learned or achieved and seems to rush through scenes of consequence and character growth. The audiences giving this film mixed reviews can observe and appreciate the beautiful and poignant set design as well as the powerful cinematography and great performances from everyone involved in the film, but they also couple those in with the confusing and pointless moments with awkwardly written characters interacting with other characters that do not make sense.
The movie thrives in its sense of direction but begins to lose audiences once the narrative begins to get fragmented and muddled. The metaphors that underlay the story become too much for some, pushing them away some while drawing others in. The aesthetic qualities that bring a very handcrafted and almost lo-fi feel to a space survival expedition appeal as well as alienate. Pattinson, Binoche, Goth, and Benjamin all deliver powerful and enthralling performances, but the supporting cast loses what the others have brought in. High Life is a mixed bag of all mixed bags, but regardless of whether someone comes out of it with an overall positive, negative, or mixed review, it is most certainly a film that leaves an impact on the viewer and will be something that other films will draw inspiration from and draw comparisons to.
