Splice

I had been waiting quite a long time to see Splice, the science fiction thriller directed by Vincenzo Natali. The concept of the film immediately caught my interest. From what I gathered, it was a classic tale of overzealous scientists who want to push science to the limit and play God. We've seen many admirable works come from this type of plot-line: namely, the creature feature animal-human hybrid horror The Island of Dr. Moreau, the shocking body-horror metamorphosis film The Fly, and Frankenstein, the Mary Shelley classic and it's many adaptations. However, we have also seen some not-so-great movies stem from the mad scientist genre (The Human Centipede, anyone?).

In some aspects, it seemed as though Splice straddled the fine line between genius scientific commentary and B-movie bizarre. In the ever popular form of "bad news first", I'd like to start out by pointing out what I didn't exactly like about Splice.

I was a little annoyed by protagonists and scientist power-duo Clive Nicoli (Academy Award winner Adrian Brody) and Elsa Kast (lesser known but equally talented Sarah Polley). The two of them, I will admit, were well-written characters in regards to their emotions. I especially liked Elsa's struggle between her desire for motherhood and normalcy against her desire for power and knowledge. However, the two of them had a sort of dorky quirkiness that, depending on the portrayal, could either be lovable or annoying. I felt like at times this got a little annoying. It reminded me a bit of the movie Juno, that whole sort of "Look at me! I'm a cool dork" attitude. Seeing as they were both renowned scientists who are celebrated for their work in gene splicing, their hipster-college-kid playfulness seemed a tad unrealistic at times. Especially Clive's plaid suit (although I will admit it was kind of cool).

Despite being a little put off by these aspects in the characters, I will once again point out how well I found them to be written, especially Elsa. Polley did a masterful job channeling the passion for knowledge and drive to succeed, all the while allowing maternal tender spots that contrasted to her ambitious, off-beat personality. She coaxed Clive into allowing them to keep the human-animal hybrid they created alive in secret in order to fully understand it's potential. However, as we see her interact with the young creature with the delicate love of a mother, we come to realize that she didn't splice those genes merely for the sake of science.

I was absolutely impressed with the creature itself. I've always had a soft spot for ungodly abominations, and this one took the cake. First of all, she aged at a frighteningly quick rate. I've always been skeptical of that because I feel like it's a cop-out, trying to shorten time and get to the good stuff. However, it made sense in this situation, as the creature was a combination of several animals, some of which may have had accelerated aging compared to humans. In regards to what genes caused this rapid maturation... well, I can't say what for sure she actually was. The creature, which Elsa named Dren (check out what it spells backwards; you'll be sure to roll your eyes), seemed to be a combination of human, bird, amphibian, cat, and something with a stinger. Yes; Dren had a stinger, which was retractable and protruded from her tail. She also had enormous, birdlike legs, was completely hairless, and is able to do two other very un-human things that I won't spoil. In short, she was a complete biological nightmare.

However, I found myself liking Dren. She had a puzzled, sensitive naivety about her that was quite sweet and very human. On the other hand, there was also that animalistic side of her.

Dren had inherited instincts that completely contrasted with her "human" personality, such as defensiveness, the will to hunt, and the need to breed. The portrayal of her inner battle between human and animal was very well done, and I applaud her actress, Delphine Chanéac, for her amazing balance.

One scene that I found both touching and creepy was the one in which Dren, now a young adult, is looking through a box of Elsa's old things. She has the robotic movements of a twitchy, suspicious bird, and yet she has the curiosity of a young girl who wants to be normal. She tries on a plastic crown. She delicately looks at old photographs. She holds up a Barbie with long, blonde hair up to her cheek and sadly compares it through the mirror to her own face.

Unfortunately, as Dren grows, she begins to bloom sexually. She has the drive to reproduce like an animal, but she has the passion and confusing emotions of a human. What then ensues as a result of Dren's combined hopeless romanticism/reproductive instinct is, well, it's certainly bizarre. I won't spoil it, but I will tell you that it is very Freudian.

It is this that pulls the already dysfunctional "family" apart, almost as a daughter's growing up would with any other, normal family. And in a way, I think that may have been the point. Watching this movie, I felt like it had deeper meanings than "don't play God". It pointed out how having a child could dramatically change the relationship between a couple, especially depending on how prepared each person is. It portrayed the detriments of power-hungry ambition and the desire to get ahead and discover more and more, which we know is all too common in modern science.

But most thought-provoking of all, it challenged audiences with the question: Where do you draw the line between human and animal?