Vivarium (2019)
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A couple becomes trapped in a surreal, repetitive housing development where they are forced to care for a mysterious child.
The story
Primary school teacher Gemma and her boyfriend Tom, a landscaper, visit a housing development called Yonder, where all the homes appear identical. They are shown house number 9 by an unusual real estate agent named Martin. After Martin disappears, the couple finds themselves unable to leave the development, eventually running out of fuel on the endless, identical streets. They take refuge in house number 9, only to find a box containing a baby boy and a message instructing them to raise the child in order to be released. The couple must navigate their isolation in a surreal environment while caring for the mysterious infant.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Gemma and Tom are trapped in a repetitive housing development called Yonder. After their guide, Martin, disappears, they find themselves unable to leave house number 9. They are eventually tasked with raising a baby boy who appears in a box. Over 98 days, the child grows rapidly to the size of a ten-year-old. As the couple's mental state deteriorates, Tom becomes obsessed with digging a hole in the garden, while the boy begins to exhibit strange behaviors and eventually matures into a young adult. Tom eventually dies, and the boy zips him into a vacuum bag. Gemma, at her breaking point, wounds the boy and follows him into a labyrinth beneath the sidewalk, where she discovers a series of similar realities. She returns to house 9 and is killed by the boy, who zips her into a vacuum bag. The boy then returns to the real estate office, where he meets a dying Martin, takes his name tag, and greets a new couple who enters the house, repeating the cycle.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- Ireland; Belgium; Denmark
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Lorcan Finnegan
- Writers
- Garret Shanley · screenplay; Garret Shanley · story; Lorcan Finnegan · story
- Cast and characters
- Imogen Poots · Gemma; Jesse Eisenberg · Tom; Jonathan Aris; Éanna Hardwicke
- Genres
- science fiction; psychological thriller
- Themes
- dehumanization; isolation
- Tone and mood
- minimalist; grim; surreal
- Setting
- A repetitive, identical housing development called Yonder.
- Premise and plot tags
- sci-fi; horror; psychological thriller
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its atmosphere and commitment to its premise, though some found its metaphors frustrating.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 23
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in locations in Belgium and Ireland.; The film was shot at Ardmore Studios in Wicklow, Ireland.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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