Hey, I love thought-provoking, atmospheric, thematically rich, slow-burn, non-linear science fiction as much as anyone. But High Life is none of those things. It is two hours of ponderous silence and random, unexplained behavior. Two hours of incomprehensible whisper-mumbling. So little of an already-thin story is ever explained. It's a deliberately opaque style masquerading as complexity.
There's also a difference between good non-linear storytelling and disjointed, incompetent storytelling. A good non-linear structure adds additional layers of meaning, engaging the viewer to ponder how it all fits together, how the past informs the future and how the future reflects/echoes the past. With a poorly done version, the viewer spends much of his/her time thinking "WTF am I looking at?? WTF is happening?? Where am I? When am I?"
The 10-star reviews argue this film explores meaningful subjects like mortality, redemption, despair, and solitude. No it doesn't. It unsuccessfully *attempts* to discuss such subjects. And I say "discuss" generously. The film simply tosses in thematic bits of dialogue & behavior with little context or motivation. The characters don't feel like actual people, but rather mouthpieces for whatever the filmmaker wishes to "discuss" at the moment. You can feel the thematic checkboxes being ticked off as the film progresses. That's not dramatic or engaging; it's didactic. It's two hours of the filmmaker talking AT you.
There's also a difference between good non-linear storytelling and disjointed, incompetent storytelling. A good non-linear structure adds additional layers of meaning, engaging the viewer to ponder how it all fits together, how the past informs the future and how the future reflects/echoes the past. With a poorly done version, the viewer spends much of his/her time thinking "WTF am I looking at?? WTF is happening?? Where am I? When am I?"
The 10-star reviews argue this film explores meaningful subjects like mortality, redemption, despair, and solitude. No it doesn't. It unsuccessfully *attempts* to discuss such subjects. And I say "discuss" generously. The film simply tosses in thematic bits of dialogue & behavior with little context or motivation. The characters don't feel like actual people, but rather mouthpieces for whatever the filmmaker wishes to "discuss" at the moment. You can feel the thematic checkboxes being ticked off as the film progresses. That's not dramatic or engaging; it's didactic. It's two hours of the filmmaker talking AT you.