Infinity Pool (4 Stars)

I wanted to see "Infinity Pool" on Wednesday, but when I arrived at the cinema they told me it had been cancelled at short notice. It couldn't be shown because they didn't have a key for the film. They used the English word "key", not "Schlüssel", so I assume it's a technical term. They rattled off a list of alternative films I could watch. No, I didn't want to watch "The Whale", "Empire of Light" or "Tehran Taboo". I'm not someone who goes to the cinema to watch a random film. It's not my style.

So I returned today. They've found the key.

James Foster and his wife Em are on holiday in a resort on the island country Li Tolqa. He's a novellist whose only book was a success, but after six years he's lacked the inspiration to write another book. He's hoping that the holiday will give him the ideas he needs for a new novel, but the resort is dull and generic.

They meet a Swiss couple, Alban and Gabi Bauer. Gabi says that she loves his book. The next day they leave the holiday resort and drive to the beach. Alban is too drunk to drive back, so James drives. Due to faulty headlights he doesn't see a man crossing the road. He runs him over and kills him. He wants to call the police, but Gabi warns him that Li Tolqa's police are corrupt and won't treat him fairly. He drives back to the resort, but there must have been witnesses, because he's arrested the next day.

James is taken to the police station. He's told that the penalty for killing someone is death at the hands of the dead person's oldest son. He'll be killed the next day. The only alternative is an offer for tourists. For a large sum of money, the accused person can be cloned, and the clone will be executed in his place while he watches. It's a perfect clone, identical in body and memories, so James' clone will think he really is James.

The next day James is led into a room to watch the execution. His clone is tied to a post. The dead man's 13-year-old son stabs him to death. He's not an experienced killer. He has to stab James' clone 33 times in the stomach before he's dead.

Em wants to leave the island as quickly as possible, but James decides to remain to get ideas for his next novel. He pretends that he's lost his passport, so Em leaves without him. Gabi and Alban invite him to meet three of their friends. They were all sentenced to death in previous years, but they were so fascinated by watching themselves die that they return every year and deliberately commit crimes. They want James to join their exclusive club.

No, that long description wasn't spoilers. It's only an introduction to the film's premise. Now the real story begins. It's a psychedelic kaleidoscope of sex and horror. "Infinity Pool" is an unsettling film. I can't guarantee that you'll like it, but you'll never be able to forget it.