"“Whether you like this film or not you can't argue how disquieting this feature is...”"

For roughly 40 years now we’ve been subject to a series of intellectual and controversial David Cronenberg films, productions that challenge your perceptions and test the boundaries of cinema – yet, unfortunately – often lacking somewhat in overall quality. Well, we seem to have a case of father like son, as the Canadian filmmakers offspring Brandon, releases his debut feature film, Antiviral.

Set in the near future, we follow Syd March (Caleb Landry Jones), an employee of The Lucas Clinic, a practise that sells viruses harvested from unwell celebrities to obsessive fans that are desperate to feel darkly closer to their icons. In the meantime, Syd is smuggling the viruses through his own body illegally to sell underground. However, when he takes an injection of an illness that killed superstar Hannah Geist (Sarah Gadon), he soon finds his own life at risk.

Syd must investigate the mysterious illness, needing to discover how to overcome the infection to avoid suffering the same fate. However while doing so word spreads of the disease Syd is carrying and suddenly he needs to battle this potentially fatal infection amidst a host of attention from crazed fans determined to get their hands on the same virus that killed their favourite celebrity.

Given the unique and somewhat sinister narrative to Antiviral, there is no denying the uncomfortable atmosphere that emanates, as whether you like this film or not you can’t argue how disquieting this feature is, which is certainly a testament to the filmmaker. It may not be a nice experience as such, but Cronenberg must be commended for provoking such an effect on the audience. The discomforting atmosphere is not only created from the story, but also the director’s use of colours as the majority of the setting is white, from the walls to the floor to the clothes Syd wears. Therefore when others colours do come into play – such as red blood – it appears more prominent as a result.

Landry Jones enhances such a notion, as his slim demeanour and pale complexion really adds to unsettling nature of his character, as his illness is magnificently portrayed. I can’t recall seeing an actor depict illness with so much conviction on screen, haunting and repellent as a result. Put it this way, if the only vacant seat on a packed bus was next to Landry Jones, you’d opt to stand.

However, due to the outlandish, freakish story, there is inevitably pieces that just don’t quite work or piece together. Cronenberg is trying his hand at delivering a satirical message of contemporary celebrity culture and the desperate idolising of anyone remotely famous, yet this does seem to take it all a step too far, and when a supposedly succinct message is overstated, it devalues it somewhat.

I mean, there is a cafe that sells celebrity flesh – made from cell samples so that paying customers feel as though they are eating their favourite stars. I can’t see that catching on.