Vivarium 2020 (Meaning A Place Of Existence) Film Review

I love Jesse Eisenberg and his movies. Vivarium movie is a science-fiction mystery film that goes for broke with weirdness. The fact that Imogen Poots & Jessie Eisenberg are cast in this crazy tale about two people stuck in a house is just gravy. The meaning behind Vivarium is defined by the fact the word means somewhere people live. So the fact its setting is a neighborhood is ideal to push the underlying ethos of the narrative within. The timing for the release of the title was also on point. A quasi-horror movie in the middle of a pandemic. People all over the world are trapped inside their own homes watching a film about people trapped inside their forever homes.

Like most movies, I didn’t watch the Vivarium trailer before seeing the film. But I did like the sound of the plot which pointed towards this being tightly constructed like a Twilight Zone episode. Two people getting trapped in a weird all-green neighborhood. Fitting somewhere between The Truman Show and Martys, the movie aims to highlight humanity’s mundane existence.

Vivarium movie cast has Jesse Eisenberg & Imgoen Poots

The narrative begins by giving us a brief introduction to Gemma (Poots) and Tom (Eisenberg.) Both the imagery while the credits roll and the first scene involve a bird. A baby bird to be precise. This small creature grows but eventually falls from its nest. Its death is presumed to be the result of a predator. Gemma finishes her day working as a teacher and Tom, a gardener, meets her before they set off to begin their search for a home they can enjoy together. There is no denying the metaphoric element between a bird, falling from a nest to its death, and a young couple embarking to create their ties nicely together.

Yonder, A Forever Home

Martin, the sales agent is the type of character that induces immediate suspicion. He talks in an odd generic fashion and is too tidy. They drive into the estate and are confronted by all-green suburban houses. These identical homes sit row upon row, one after the other in eerie sameness. Martin shows them inside and offers more undetailed information about the living situation, scant of any real detail.

A living room to live in, the home itself ideal, the perfect environment for a young family. More weirdness from Martin before his sudden disappearance and Tom and Gemma briskly find their car to leave. The Vivarium movie doesn’t waste any time before Gemma and Tom begin to realize they can’t find their way out of Yonder.

A steady echo chime plays between low bass throbs. If you haven’t already googled the meaning of Vivarium, here’s a summary; A vivarium is used to keep pets or something similar to look at. They are generally made to look like their original habitat.

Home Sweet Science Fiction Home

After some frantic and bizarre exploration, the pace slows down. Life for Gemma and Tom has also slowed. They are charged with a baby that appears in the misty morning alongside the promise of freedom. The baby is unlike any baby they have encountered before and both refuse and buckle against its incessant needs. Neither is under the delusion the baby is human and its growth rate is constantly compared with that of a dog.

Like anyone trapped in any type of cage, resignation sets in. Appreciation is found in the smallest of things, like discovering the car battery still works and music can be played. Before long, you’re left to wonder what the aim of the experiment might be. Is it an exercise in socialization, a simple surrogacy, or could it be something more? The narrative flicks through a few scenarios before Gemma and Tom both seek different things in the face of banal chaos.

Mystery Movies With Meaning

Performances in the Vivarium movie are perfectly attuned. Sean Jennings (as the boy) fits harmoniously among his well-seasoned and established co-stars. The movie’s 97-minute runtime feels a touch long for a film that is often on repeat. It suffers under the pressure of being existential in its message but dumbing it down to being about where home truly is.

Overall, this science fiction movie touches on enough areas between life and death and otherworldliness to scratch that ‘weird movie’ itch.

I give Vivarium

4 Jesse Eisenberg mystery movies out of 5

Vivarium Movie Where to Watch

The Vivarium movie is not on Netflix. However, If you need to know where to watch the Vivarium full movie, see the streaming options below. There is a Vivarium full movie link for where it is showing in your region.

Looking for other titles with Jesse Eisenberg? Watch The Art of Self Defense or Zombieland Double Tap

For another movie where people live trapped in a different world, watch The Immaculate Room | The Glasshouse or Ingress next.

Vivarium Movie Where To Watch:

Vivarium Movie Trailer and Production

• Directed by Lorcan Finnegan.
• Written by Lorcan Finnegan and Garret Shanley
• Mother of Movies acquired an advanced screener for the Vivarium movie review just shy of its release date of 27th March 2020.
• Vivarium cast includes Eanna Hardwicke, Jonathan Aris, Senan Jennings, Imogen Poots, and Jessie Eisenberg.