ONTD

Polarizing, unsettling, oeidipal, disconcerting, engrossing and strangely mesmerising. These are but a few strong adjectives that come to mind after watching Hungarian director Benedek Fliegauf's disturbing film about a woman who gives birth to a clone of her dead childhood sweetheart.

But far from simply being just another sensational gimmick, the almost too-quiet film manages to resonate long after the end credits, thanks to wonderfully nuanced performances from its entire cast.

Bond beauty Eva Green shocks with her beautiful delivery of a woman inextricably torn between her maternal instincts and burning desire to be her son's lover in this thought-provoking fusion of drama and science-fiction. She is the adult Rebecca who becomes romantically attached to her childhood best friend Thomas (TV's Doctor Who, Matt Smith) after being estranged for 12 years.

When a freak accident kills Thomas, ending all potential bliss, a bereaved Rebecca uses his DNA to impregnate herself with his clone, which she then raises as her son. The irony? Before his death, Thomas was a neo-hippie activist intent on protesting a world where human clones are created for capitalistic purposes.

It's all awkwardly and incredibly disquieting as Thomas 2 begins to resemble the person Rebecca knew, and her sexualised glances at her child/dead lover increase. The audience's moral feelers are activated and you start questioning her purpose, your own views and Fliegauf's intentions.

Womb isn't for everyone, and many might baulk at the supposed pretension of the film-maker, with his heavy reliance on too many silences, long drawn-out scenes and obvious under-writing. But the compelling final act where the full weight of the clone's existential crises takes centrestage all but makes up for any of the film's shortcomings.

Strong child actors, eerily gripping performances from Green and Smith, and beautiful visuals all make for a haunting, riveting film that's worth the trip down the morally ambiguous rabbit hole.



Source