A24 A-to-Z: #80. "High Life" (2019)

Scene from High Life (2019)

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for years to come. 

High Life

Released: April 12, 2019

Release Number: 80

Directed By: Claire Denis

Starring: Robet Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Andre Benjamin

Plot: A father and his daughter struggle to survive in deep space where they live in isolation.

With Gloria Bell, A24 managed to remind audiences of the variety of audiences that they were willing to reach. By looking at the inner life of lonely women in their late-50s, it made a radical film out of simple acts of vaping and enjoying life. For their next film, they teamed with beloved French director Claire Denis to create a space adventure unlike any other. From the moment that it premiered, there was a constant discussion of its themes as well as several crazy moments that had to be seen to be believed. While the film was ultimately a story of hope and desire, it was a staggering, sometimes daunting journey into fatherhood that painted space not as a place of discovery, but a quest for personal connection.

The story began in 2001 while Denis was promoting the film Trouble Every Day. When she was with actor Vincent Gallo, she would joke that "You're so selfish and such a pain in the ass, that the only script I could write for you is alone in space, so the film will be only about you." Everything stemmed from that, eventually focusing on the desire for a group of astronauts looking for human contact, including a father figure who raised their child aboard the ship. Given that it was inspired by physicist Stephen Hawking's belief that space exploration in the outer limits could only be achieved if the first generation died on board, she began to see the need to repopulate. Meanwhile her protagonist Monte was based on a 1993 murder case of a two-year-old being murdered by 10-year-olds, helping to create the sense of the spaceship as a prison. Her script was written more as an explanation of ideas than a traditional format. She had consulted novelist Zadie Smith for the script, but they separated due to disagreements on the ending.

Among those who were interested were Robert Pattinson, who became a fan of Denis after seeing White Material in 2010. Whenever he could, he tried to contact her and work with her in the film. Gallo eventually passed on the film, and Juliette Binoche was on board due to her constant collaboration with Denis (they had completed Let the Sunshine In the year prior). Denis' only reason for not casting Pattinson was because he seemed too young to play the part of a father. That didn't stop him from studying Wikipedia articles on string theory and black holes before their first meeting in an attempt to impress her. That isn't to suggest that Denis was forthright with most of her script. She didn't care that people understood the bigger picture, so long as they knew it was a story about intimacy and humanity in what amounted to a space prison.

Why did Denis choose to make this her first English language film after 14 titles in French? Her belief was that there were only two languages in space: Russian and English. She couldn't imagine anyone speaking other languages. The film began production in Cologne, Germany in September 2017 near a European Astronaut Center where they had trained prior to the film's start. Considering the dire subject matter, it became especially staggering to learn that Denis commuted back to Paris, France during her downtime to be with her mother, who was dying throughout the production. Despite this, she sees the whole thing as an optimistic picture with a happy ending. Even though it's not a conventional form of upbeat, it has moments of connectivity that made it something more emotional and human, reflecting on the individual. There would even be scenes involving organic life to reflect the need for vitamins and sight, which would be the only Earthly gifts most would have for the remainder of their life.

A lot of the set design was supervised by black-hole expert Aurelien Barrau and Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, the latter of whom designed the spacecraft and designed the yellow lighting in the film. Denis also wanted to make the film more sensual than sexual, which involved not making the actions about fluids. There would be scenes involving masturbation, such as Binoche in a place called "the fuckbox," that were graphic but are about trying to break the taboos of the human body. Binoche would find herself writhing to the music in order to create synchronicity. There would also be taboos regarding incestual relationships as well as very clinical depictions of Pattinson carrying sperm in his hand to be injected into a woman. 

The film had a mixed reception when it premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Because of its bleak beginning, there were a series of walkouts. With that said, critics really enjoyed it and gave it immediate praise for creating one of the most unique outer space films in history. It didn't help that Denis' vision was also considered deranged, managing to feature constant sensuality and moments that could be described as bizarre. All of this made it the weirdest film that A24 could release in 2019, and one whose plot description sounds crazy without ruining the experience of discovering what magic laid beyond.

High Life, whose title was said to be a reference to "outer space" and "human life," premiered in May 2019 and grossed $1.9 million internationally. Considering that it featured a strange concept, it benefited from word of mouth and teaser trailers that were full of strange moments. By this point Pattinson was in his full weirdo mode, only outdoing himself that Fall in The Lighthouse. As one of the few stalwarts still working regularly with A24, he has pretty much developed his own charismatic personality through these films that raised auteurs to a mainstream audience. It's likely what helped this film perform better at the box office, making its many "taboo" scenes examples of must-see moments. It was the edgier space film, eventually overshadowed by Ad Astra later that year.

As mentioned, the film did fairly well with critics, managing to earn an 82% rating on critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. Kevin Maher of Times (UK) leads the positive reviews when noting that "It's heavy, angry stuff. A film that lashes out at humankind as a species of grunting thugs entirely at the mercy of the procreative impulse. It ends with an uncharacteristic touch of optimism, but it's little and late. You'll need a stiff drink." Others like Geoffrey Macnab of Independent (UK) would share the sentiment when noting "Veteran French director Claire Denis' first English-language film is a fascinating mixture of highbrow and B-movie elements." Those like M.V. Moorehead of Phoenix Magazine were more critical when they stated "It has the moody flavor of some "existential" '70s-era sci-fi dramas like Tarkovsky's Solaris or Douglas Trumbull's Silent Running, but with a more overtly sexual tone and with lovely, old-school special effects. I just wish it was more fun." While the film failed to get any major awards attention, it would win for various film groups, including Indiewier's Best Films Opening in 2019. Pattinson would also receive praise. 

Following Climax, High Life was one of the first major films from A24 that proved that 2019 was going to be one crazy trip for the studio. It managed to bring in yet another international cinema auteur to the English language and brought with them one of the craziest looks at humanity, finding tenderness in moments that were nothing if not memorable in their bold nature, finding the vulnerability of mankind's inability to love themselves. Most of all, it continued the trend of Pattinson as the poster child for the studio, constantly finding new ways to make him a more charismatic and strange voice in the indie film world. Up next would be one of the few dives into less familiar works before gearing up for a strong summer. After two of A24's bigger early year hits, they were moving in a new direction with Native Son.

Up Next: Native Son (2019)