David Cronenberg’s Crimes Of The Future is gearing up to be the most Cronenberg-esque movie of all time, and he knows it! The director is known for his mix of body horror and social commentary, all with some messed-up practical effects thrown in there. Crimes Of The Future is no exception, and with the tagline “surgery is the new sex,” what can we expect?
The director knows that his outlandish concepts don’t land with all viewers, and he expects a number of walkouts when the film premieres at Cannes Film Festival later this month. Cronenberg told Deadline that he is looking forward to the feedback–whether it’s good or bad.
“I do expect walkouts in Cannes, and that’s a very special thing. There are some very strong scenes,” Cronenberg told the site. “I mean, I’m sure that we will have walkouts within the first five minutes of the movie. I’m sure of that.” This is to be expected from a trailer that shows a man with his eyes sewn shut and ears on his forehead.
Obviously, Cronenberg doesn’t seem to mind freaking out his fans–he’s been doing it for decades. “Some people who have seen the film have said that they think the last 20 minutes will be very hard on people and that there’ll be a lot of walkouts. Some guy said that he almost had a panic attack,” he added. “People always walk out, and the seats notoriously clack as you get up, because the seats fold back and hit the back of the seat. So, you hear clack, clack, clack.”
Crimes Of The Future stars Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux as “surgical performance artists” who alter their bodies in, uh, slightly disturbing ways. Kristen Stewart stars as a government agent who is investigating the “performances.”
“They might be revulsed to the point that they want to leave, but that’s not the same as being outraged” Cronenberg adds. “However, I have no idea really what’s going to happen. I guess that is the description of this movie: It’s going to either attract or repel people.” That can be said about most Cronenberg movies. Crimes Of The Future is expected to be released in the US in June.