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.
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