Vivarium (2019) film review - the ending of this Sci-Fi thriller explained
★★★☆☆
a recent addition to the science fiction genre, ‘vivarium’ tells the story of Gemma and Tom, a young couple trapped in a suburban hellscape.
Director: Lorcan Finnegan. Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, Jonathan Aris, Eanna Hardwicke. 15 cert, 97 min.
Put out for general release in 2020, ‘Vivarium’ is a recent addition to the science fiction/thriller genre which tells the story of Gemma and Tom, a young couple looking for a new house. When they go to look round a recent housing development called Yonder, they soon find themselves lost in its streets of eerily identical-looking houses. With an intriguing premise and a perplexing ending which provides very few answers, ‘Vivarium’ is as bleak as it is confusing. A film about survival that acts as a metaphor for the repetitive, claustrophobic nature of suburban life, director Lorcan Finnegan’s work is surreal, dark, and at times frustrating.
Vivarium (2019) film poster artwork
‘Raise the child and be released.’
When Gemma and Tom’s strange estate agent Martin (played by Jonathan Aris) disappears during their house tour, the young couple attempt to leave. However, they soon come to the sinister realisation that no matter which way they turn, they are always led back to house number 9. Eventually, their car runs out of petrol and they are forced to stay in the unsettling suburban labyrinth. Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg give incredibly compelling lead performances in ‘Vivarium’ as the synthetic, isolated environment they are trapped in takes a toll on their characters’ physical and mental health. Not to mention the creepy child they are told to raise in order to escape, which grows up abnormally fast. ‘Raise the child and be released,’ is the ominous message provided.
‘I am not your Mother.’
Warning: contains spoilers. Ironically, the young couple appear to settle into their bizarre domestic duties fairly quickly. By day 98, the child resembles a young boy with frankly disturbing mannerisms, including persistent screaming and imitation. Frustrated, Tom begins to spend his days digging a hole in the front garden, believing it may be the key to their escape. Meanwhile, Gemma attempts to bond with the child. Lonely and searching for answers, she takes on a strangely Mother-like role; despite consistently telling the boy that ‘I am not your Mother.’ Taking place almost solely in the unnatural environment of Yonder, ‘Vivarium’ creates a building sense of stress as the viewer is put through the same monotony as the film's characters. Director Lorcan Finnegan has attributed this stress to the film’s relentless use of a vivid, acidic green. Green is a naturally ‘anxiety-inducing colour,’ he says; ‘especially when it’s removed from nature.’ Click here for the full interview with Finnegan about the film.
The film’s cyclical ending explained
‘Vivarium’ opens with a scene depicting the life cycle of Cuckoos. Female Cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, and their babies, once hatched, will dispose of the rest of the other bird’s young. This parasitic lifestyle enables the Cuckoo to then take the Mother bird’s food, posing as one of its own. This opening scene is almost prophetic in nature and is vital in grasping the implicit aspects of Vivarium’s plot.
In order to understand the ending of ‘Vivarium,’ I believe the film’s title is important. A vivarium is ‘an enclosure, container, or structure adapted or prepared for keeping animals under semi-natural conditions for observation or study or as pets; an aquarium or terrarium.’ This explains why Gemma and Tom eventually get sick and die, as they are deprived of all the natural things we take for granted. Every aspect of their environment is fake and manufactured, presumably by aliens, so it is no surprise that their survival in it is limited. When they die, the boy, who is now an adult, buries their bodies in the hole that Tom has dug. In a disturbing turn of events, it appears that Tom was simply digging their own graves; in his fruitless escape attempt, he actually seals their fate. But why did the aliens need Gemma and Tom at all?
To answer this, I will refer back to the film’s opening scene with the Cuckoos. It can be inferred that these aliens are parasitic in nature, much like the aforementioned birds. Over the course of the film, we see the boy infiltrate Gemma and Tom’s lives, relying on them for food and care. The reason for this is one of the mysteries of ‘Vivarium,’ but what we see unfold is essentially the life cycle of an alien race that is reliant on humans for survival. This is clear in the film’s end scene. Now an adult, we see the boy enter the same estate agents that Gemma and Tom did. The estate agent, Martin, that took them to Yonder at the outset of the film appears to be dying. This makes sense when you consider the advanced ageing that this race seems to possess. Disposing of his body, the boy takes his place, ready to transport the next young couple so the cycle can begin again.
Should you watch this before you die?
Overall, ‘Vivarium’ is a clever take on the sci-fi genre which takes place in an environment that is both an eerily similar but distinctly warped perception of reality. Though some parts of this film are slightly slow, it has an interesting concept which, on reflection, is more astute than it first seems. With strong leads and a cyclical structure, 'Vivarium’ is consistently depressing, which makes it frustrating at times. However, there is no doubt that this film is one which makes an impact. I believe many of its reviews are unfairly harsh. Finnegan’s work is bold, well shot, and always creepy. I would recommend ‘Vivarium’ to anyone looking for a new film which delivers something different.