David Cronenberg…it’s likely you know the name, and if you do then you know what it means. Synonymous with weird, wild and WTF, his films (Scanners, The Fly, Naked Lunch) are incredibly well-crafted, albeit tough to understand at times. Sometimes, in the case of something like Videodrome, his message can be unsettlingly prophetic. But now there’s a new kid in town carrying the wonky torch for the family, oneBrandon Cronenberg and if you’ve seen his film Antiviral (check out our review!) then you know the apple doesn’t fall far from that creatively warped tree.
Brandon makes his feature film debut as both writer and director. His film, Antiviral, is a dark and eerie satire on society’s obsession with celebrity that is so wild but based on fact you could almost see it happening. To get a better understanding of the film and Brandon’s overall vision, Go, See, Talk got to speak with the young Cronenberg, as well as Caleb Landry Jones, the film’s star. Caleb, who you might remember from X-Men: First Class, plays the lead character Syd in a role that is powerful, unflinching and painful. The video below is our time with them both.
Thanks to Brandon and Caleb for their time and to IFC for their help in arranging this interview. Antiviral is making its rounds on the festival circuit but no official release date has been set.
(FYI, Brandon and Caleb credit Kareem Hussein for the great cinematography. If you’re interested, check out this informative interview of with Kareem at the Cannes film festival where he talks about how he shot the film. Even if the story isn’t for you, you can’t help but comment how beautiful it looks.)
