Infested (2023)
5/10
Mixed feelings
16 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I had high expectations for this movie. First part was good and interesting, in terms of rythm, cut and characters. The director has talent and knows how to film, use great camera angles. We could spot his horror inspiration (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Rec, one scene from the first Conjuring etc ) I am looking forward to seeing his next film.

The problem about this movie is the message.

**spoilers** I first thought the spiders were an allegory of the drug being brought illegally to France from Northern Africa and bringing only bad things to people living in social estates.

But apparently not, the spiders are like the people living in social estates, meaning they do their best to survive in very difficult situations ... even here I am not sure. It is hard to understand what the movie is trying to convey us because it gets lost in its own webs.

This movie, willing to be a mix between Arachnophobia and Les misérables (the Ladj Ly one) or La Haine, makes no sense most of the time, blaming the cops for no reasons even tho the main character is fully responsible of what happens. The old Arab neighbor guy was an interesting character, like in his great kindness, ends up dying because he tried to trap all spiders in an empty glass instead of killing them. We lack of empathy towards secondary characters, even the main ones actually.

Besides, the language used by the young adults can be annoying for French speaking people .. they just shout most of the time with tasteless slang.

I think the message about bringing illegal rare species from tropic countries to western countries , was too subtle and not enough obvious (I think it is one sentence in the whole script).

However, please go still see it, to make up your own opinion, as it is interesting to see young French directors trying to renew the horror franchise. In the 2000, France had interesting directors already (martyrs, à l'intérieur, haute tension etc) Now it seems to be the case again (la Nuée , Acide, Vincent doit mourir, l'année du requin and Vermines)
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