eXistenz

Movie Name: eXistenZ

Year of Release: 1999

Director: David Cronenberg

Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Ian Holm, Christopher Eccleston, Don McKellar, Callum Keith Rennie, Sarah Polley, Oscar Hsu, Kris Lemche, Robert A. Silverman

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis & Review:

Following the controversy over the excellent "Crash", director David Cronenberg went back to one of his original screenplays with "eXistenZ". The film focuses on Allegra Geller, a well known game designer who is testing her latest virtual reality game, eXistenZ, with a focus group at a seminar. During that testing session, there's an attempt on her life, and she flees with the assistance of Ted Pikul, a security guard. Allegra discovers that her pod has been damaged, and that pod contains the only copy of her game. In order to test it, she has to connect into the game in tandem with another player she can trust. She convinces Pikul to install a bio-port in his body, but once they go inside the game things just start getting more and more complicated, without them knowing where reality truly lies.
David Cronenberg's filmography is filled with fantastic films, and "eXistenZ" is another great staple in his career. The film larks back to his seminal "Videodrome", in the sense that assesses the state of technology in society, and how it relates to the human body (and in a general sense with the human condition). Cronenberg has always been interested in the human body and how it adapts itself to foreign elements and becomes something different (as was the case of "Shivers" and "The Fly" for instance). The pods from "eXistenZ" are surgically inserted in the body, with an orifice that allows for the game to penetrate the body. It's a potent analogy for the fear of invasion (and to an extent, violation), something that is surfaced in the Pikul character who is strongly opposed to having the procedure executed. The film also showcases a trademark of Cronenberg's films - where does reality begin and end (how real, is in fact reality). The film features a great performance from Jude Law, and the cinematography from Peter Suschitzky and score from Howard Shore are equally fantastic. A very good film from a fantastic director.