Before starring inLuc Besson’sDogman,Caleb Landry Jonesteamed up withBrandon Cronenberg, who would go on to directInfinity PoolandPossessor, to give us one of the best body horror performances of the 21st century. Cronenberg’s debut featureAntiviralsees Jones play Syd March, an employee at a company that sells celebrity viruses to fans. He infects himself with a virus, not knowing the deadly consequences, and the movie sees the infection take hold of him. Jones' performance showcases the rapid decline of Syd’s control as he contorts his body in such an unnatural manner. Following in the footsteps of his dadDavid Cronenberg, the director of horror classicsThe Fly,ScannersandVideodrome, Brandon Cronenberg utilizes body horror to showcase the shock of his transformation. He also uses set designs to fabricate a distinct environment that reflects the characteristics of the society he has created.Antiviraloffers a stylish yet horrific exploration of celebrity cultureand the potential dangers of developing a parasocial relationship with the famous.
In a blackly satirical near future, a thriving industry sells celebrity illnesses to their obsessed fans. Employee Syd March’s attempts to exploit the system backfire when they involve him in a potentially deadly mystery.
What is ‘Antiviral’ About?
Antiviralis set in a celebrity-obsessed societywhere individuals can buy mutated, non-contagious virusesextracted from the rich and famous. The opening shots of the clinic are strikingly white and clean, which reflect the precision and medical nature of the procedure but also present it as a luxury, which is then heightened by the personal one-on-one appointments and the high price of the viruses themselves. Cronenberg uses this satirical setting as the basis to explore how far an individual’s desire to be like someone they admire could go and the dangers of celebrity culture. He uses an environment that looks similar to reality but distorts the smaller details to evoke a sense of the uncanny valley.
The expansion of the dystopian societysees Syd leaving work and heading to a local butcher. Here, they areselling what appears to be human meat, with pictures of smiling faces next to pale, unnatural-looking flesh. The owner of the meat market, Arvid (Joe Pingue) explains that the meat is grown from the muscle cells of celebrities. He then proceeds to emphasize that it is not cannibalism but merely an imitation of celebrity bodies as it is synthetically grown. The unappealing visual of the meat is juxtaposed with the high demand for it, with customers filling the shop. Through this,Cronenberg creates a whole new society, where celebrity culture is all-consuming. Syd sells pathogens from the clinic to Arvid on the black market for extra cash, and it is the first glimpse of the dark underworld of this otherwise clinical and clean environment Cronenberg has introduced.People’s desire and obsessioncontrol consumption in this society, which means numerous individuals are exploiting this for personal gain, including Syd.
Caleb Landry Jones Is Transformative in ‘Antiviral’
Caleb Landry Jonesgives a performance of two halves inAntiviralas Syd. For the first half of the movie, he is very detached. Jones plays Syd in a very subtle manner, with his line delivery understated and quiet. The monotony of the situation makes Syd come across as a man who is so used to the system he is a part of and has disconnected himself from his own humanity. Even when he is injecting himself with pathogens to sell them on, his routine is so emotionless that it is difficult to get any sense of personality from him. The performance feels void of emotion and Cronenberg’s choice of harsh white interiors and repetitive sequences reflect Syd’s character. However, when Syd is sent to collect the virus from superstar Hannah Geist, Jones' performance shifts.
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As previously seen, Syd injects himself with Geist’s pathogens in hopes of selling them on the black market. However, when he attempts to process the pathogens, his stolen machine in his apartment inexplicably breaks down. The next day, he finds out Hannah is dead and the virus he is now infected with is deadly. Slowly throughout the remainder of the film, Jones shows a man succumbing to inevitable death. At first, Syd is feverish and disorientated, stumbling as he walks and struggling to concentrate. Jones' restrained acting is replaced with physicality as he contorts his body unnaturally to showcase the toll the virus is taking on his body. His hallucinations cause him to see himself turning into the broken machine, blood coming from a grate where his mouth once was, and these dreamlike situations allowCronenberg to explore the effects the body has on the mindwhen pushed to its limit. Jones transforms from indistinct to uncontrolled, and the contrast is terrifyingly stark.
The Ending of ‘Antiviral’ is One of the Worst Fates in Body Horror
Out of desperation, Syd seeks a cure for his condition and discovers Hannah is alive and being looked after by her own physician, Dr Abendroth (A Clockwork Orange’sMalcolm McDowell). He tells Syd that Hannah’s illness was actually genetically engineered, and prevention was put in place to stop it being analyzed, which explains his broken machine. Seeing Hannah only heightens his own fear, as she asks if the bleeding in his mouth has started. The close-up of Hannah’s smooth skin and perfect lips dripping with scarlet bloodmight not be the most graphic and extreme body horrorof the movie, but it is effective in showing her deterioration and the danger Syd is in. Although she is weak, Hannah comes across as compassionate, and it makes her situation even more heartbreaking, as it is clear those around her no longer treat her as a human but as a commodity.
The overarching theme of celebrity obsession is brought full circle, as Syd is abducted and told that the public is dissatisfied with Hannah’s death and how sudden it was. Watching Syd deteriorate on a live broadcast, knowing he has the same illness as Hannah, will satiate that need for closure. It is another layer of just how entangled celebrities are in the public consciousness of the society ofAntiviral. Escaping from the facility is when the real extremity is presented. Syd finds the company that engineered the infection and manages to negotiate a deal in exchange for a cure. Hannah is not so lucky, and it is revealed she is being kept alive in a cell garden, similar to what was used by the meat markets to grow meat. Her face is distinguishable but stretched and mangled.Destined to spend all her life being used as a vessel for profit, Hannah’s fate is devastating.
However, perhaps the worst aspect is that, despite becoming infected and feeling Hannah’s pain, Syd is back to how he was at the film’s start. He lacks empathy and still doesn’t see Hannah as a person, cutting open her arm and drinking her blood. It shows that even buying these infections to feel closer to celebrities doesn’t change the relationship between the famous and their fans — instead, it widens the gaps and makes the celebrities less human. Cronenberg utilizes body horror to show the extremity of desire and the horrific dangers of it.
Antiviralis available to watch on Mubi in the U.S.
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