About Him or How He Did Not Fear the Bear
A film in search of the motives behind and the response to the nightly killer-spree by a Russian lone wolf, slaughtering an entire Armenian family.
112'
Armenia
IFFR 2019
What would you expect from a space opera directed by Claire Denis and starring Robert Pattinson? Well, everything. High Life does to sci-fi what Denis’ Trouble Every Day did to vampire films: it’s a radical interpretation where the filmmaker subverts tropes and genre while preserving their very essence.
Pattinson is part of a motley crew of convicts sent in a spaceship to seemingly exploit an energy resource from a black hole. But they are the ones exploited as guinea pigs for sexual experiments by their medical officer (Juliette Binoche, in full witch mode). Denis still explores her favourite themes – bodies and outsiders, which are desired and rejected at the same time. Mind-bending and very organic, High Life is a crossover between Solaris and Alien, but without needing any monster. It’s above all a fascinating work on on how to keep one's humanity in the space void.
Also see Masterclass Claire Denis.
IFFR 2019
- 110'
- Germany
- 2018
- Director
- Claire Denis
- Countries of production
- Germany, France, USA, United Kingdom, Poland
- Year
- 2018
- Festival Edition
- IFFR 2019
- Length
- 110'
- Medium
- DCP
- Language
- English
- Producers
- Claudia Steffen, Christoph Friedel, Laurence Clerc, Olivier Thery Lapiney, Andrew Lauren, Klaudia Smieja, Oliver Dungey, D.J. Gugenheim
- Production Companies
- Pandora Film Produktion, Alcatraz Films, Andrew Lauren Productions, The Apocalypse Films Company, Madants
- Sales
- Wild Bunch
- Screenplay
- Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau, Geoff Cox
- Cinematography
- Yorick Le Saux
- Editor
- Guy Lecorne
- Production Design
- François-Renaud Labarthe
- Sound Design
- Stuart A. Staples
- Music
- Stuart A. Staples
- Cast
- Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin, Mia Goth, Agata Buzek, Lars Eidinger, Claire Tran
- Local Distributor
- Imagine Filmdistributie Nederland
- Website
- http://www.highlife-lefilm.com
- Director
- Claire Denis
- Countries of production
- Germany, France, USA, United Kingdom, Poland
- Year
- 2018
- Festival Edition
- IFFR 2019
- Length
- 110'
- Medium
- DCP
- Language
- English
- Producers
- Claudia Steffen, Christoph Friedel, Laurence Clerc, Olivier Thery Lapiney, Andrew Lauren, Klaudia Smieja, Oliver Dungey, D.J. Gugenheim
- Production Companies
- Pandora Film Produktion, Alcatraz Films, Andrew Lauren Productions, The Apocalypse Films Company, Madants
- Sales
- Wild Bunch
- Screenplay
- Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau, Geoff Cox
- Cinematography
- Yorick Le Saux
- Editor
- Guy Lecorne
- Production Design
- François-Renaud Labarthe
- Sound Design
- Stuart A. Staples
- Music
- Stuart A. Staples
- Cast
- Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin, Mia Goth, Agata Buzek, Lars Eidinger, Claire Tran
- Local Distributor
- Imagine Filmdistributie Nederland
- Website
- http://www.highlife-lefilm.com
Programme IFFR 2019
Signatures
Familiar faces from the world of film: new work from established filmmakers, auteurs and festival veterans.
Read more about this programmeCeremony
Essayist road movie on the relation between England's Manchester and philosopher Friedrich Engels, founder of communism. Are his ideas still alive?
67'
United Kingdom
IFFR 2019
I diari di Angela – Noi due cineasti
Personal, moving account of Yervant Gianikian’s life and work with Angela Ricci Lucchi, until her recent death.
125'
Italy
IFFR 2019