Infinity Pool

Too creative to be bad, yet too sloppy to be great, writer/director Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool puts its own spin on upper-class satirization, but doesn’t quite reach the sustained highs of recent peers The Menu and Triangle of Sadness.

Set at an exclusive resort on the fictional island of La Tolqa, the film finds struggling author James (Alexander Skarsgård) and his wealthy wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman, Dopesick) befriending fellow guests Gaby (Mia Goth) and Alban (Jalil Lespert, Tell No One) — solely because Gaby claims to adore James’ poorly-received debut novel.

Despite Gaby’s suspect fandom, the two couples take an ill-advised day trip beyond the compound’s gates where interactions get increasingly troubling, climaxing in a tragic accident on the drive home.

The fallout from these decisions deserves to be experienced rather than spoiled here, though Cronenberg’s choppy presentation of a bizarre circumstance makes such exposition difficult. Messy though the ambitious narrative may be, its visual representation sustains attention with wild, hallucinatory imagery that’s a delicious puzzle to decipher.

Fresh off his career-best work in The Northman, Skarsgård excels in multiple roles, keeping viewers guessing about which version of James he’s playing at a given moment. Meanwhile, Goth continues to prove that she’s more of an intriguing screen presence than a great performer, and while her over-acting can occasionally be a chore, her confident conveyance of Gaby’s hold over the insecure James produces some of the film’s most alluring moments.

What it all adds up to feels equal parts profound and obvious, clear and obscured. The same can be said of Cronenberg’s previous film, Possessor, and of many of his famous father’s efforts over the years.

Apparently the genetically-altered apple doesn’t fall far from the twisted tree.

Grade: B-minus. Rated R. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: Neon)