With all movie theaters across the world closed and no new major releases coming to the big screen we are forced to stay inside as most movies are getting an early home release. Initially premiering at last years Cannes film festival Vivarium was set for a cinematic release on March 27th. Due to the current pandemic Vivarium is now available on VOD to stream in your own homes.

Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) are a young couple house hunting for their dream home. After stumbling into a real estate office and meeting Martin (Jonathan Aris) he tells them about a new housing development by the name of Yonder. Martin leads Tom and Gemma to Yonder, an estate where all the houses look the same and not a single soul can be found living there. Martin shows the couple house number 9 and then suddenly disappears. After deciding house number 9 is not for them, Tom and Gemma get in their car and attempt to leave Yonder but can’t find their way out and soon realize they are stuck in this suburban hell.

The acting in this movie is phenomenal especially from Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots, for most of the movie they are all you see, they have great chemistry and keep you invested in this movie. The two leads are the most interesting thing about this movie because they make up for the pacing problem in Vivarium. The movie has a runtime of 97 minutes but it feels like 2 hours, I feel like the director Lorcan Finnegan was trying to really invest the audience in the story when there really isn’t a story to begin with. The concept is an interesting and complex narrative that could’ve been done so much better but unfortunately the movie becomes concerned with being too much like an art house movie, in which the audience has to find some sort of deeper meaning. That can work if you have a compelling story to go along with your message but this just didn’t make any sense. The visuals and production design are strong in this movie, Yonder looks similar to a Monopoly board with only green houses and that is fun to look at. After watching Vivarium you will find yourself asking “What did I just watch?”, there is no real answer unless you can find the meaning but you’ll be more lost and confused than Tom and Gemma in their new unwanted home.

Rating: 2/5