#REVIEW: “HUMANE”

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Earth has hit her breaking point and humanity faces extinction. The solution? Voluntary euthanasia and leaving behind your loved ones with a sizeable cheque from the government. Wealthy retired newsman Charles York (Peter Gallagher) has volunteered, and has brought together his four adult children for dinner to tell them his plans for later that evening. They are obviously distraught by this revelation and things get even worse when they find out that one of them is going to be forced to volunteer as well.

What follows in the feature debut of Director Caitlin Cronenberg (the daughter of the legendary Canadian filmmaker) is an absolutely chaotic house-bound Thriller where relationships are tested, secrets are uncovered and the only thing on everyone’s mind is survival. It’s a fun premise that leads to a few laughs (some unintentional) and vicious violence (which should be obvious given Caitlin’s last name). The creepy, sprawling manor chosen for the majority of the proceedings – a real castle in Hamilton, Ontario – lends itself well to the Film’s grim aesthetic, practically acting as a character itself in many scenes.

Where HUMANE runs into issues is in its non-existent tonal structure. The Film cannot decide if it wants to be a gritty Thriller, a campy Horror Comedy, a biting Social Satire or a prescient glimpse into future dystopia. It tries to meld all of these ideas together over its 94-minute running time and the result is totally unwieldly and completely unsure of itself. Worse, it packs the Film with a number of unlikeable characters and does not really give much of a reason for the audience to root for them, much less see them survive. None of this would be an issue if the Film was inherently gleeful and knowingly winking at the audience, letting them know the comical outrageousness is purposeful. But it never comes across this way; rather, it feels deadly serious almost the entire time.

The Cast that Cronenberg has assembled here does the best they can with the material. Jay Baruchel gets a handful of solid character moments playing against type as an inhumanly sarcastic prick, and Emily Hampshire stealthily adds some genuine emotion into the Film’s most ridiculous moments. Gallagher is strong, albeit underutilized, the young Sirena Gulamgaus makes a lasting impression in her few scenes and Enrico Colantoni is having the time of his life playing Bob, the Film’s de facto villain. He is keenly aware of what the Film’s tone should be and is deliberately over-the-top from start to finish. I just wish he did not feel so out of place in so many of his scenes.

There are some good ideas scattered throughout HUMANE and the terrifying idea of voluntary euthanasia is captivating. But the execution is less than stellar and leaves the Film feeling more than a little disappointing. Had the tone been better structured, this could have been a knockout debut.

Elevation Pictures release HUMANE in theatres on Friday, April 26, 2024.