Vivarium

Name: Vivarium
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Horror, Comedy
Released: March 27, 2020
Duration: 97 min
Rating: 64
Cast: Côme Thiry, Danielle Ryan, Eanna Hardwicke, Imogen Poots, Jack Hudson

2020

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 96 Ratings

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5.1	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 96 Ratings

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Vivarium

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Movie Details & Credits

Saban Films | Release Date (Streaming): March 27, 2020 | Not Rated

Starring: Côme Thiry, Danielle Ryan, Eanna Hardwicke, Imogen Poots, Jack Hudson, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris, Lilith Fury, Michael McGeown, Molly McCann, Olga Wehrly, Senan Jennings, Shana Hart

Summary: Tom and Gemma (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) are looking for the perfect home. When a strange real-estate agent takes them to Yonder, a mysterious suburban neighborhood of identical houses, Tom and Gemma can’t leave quick enough. But when they try to exit the labyrinth-like housing development, each road takes them back to where theyTom and Gemma (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) are looking for the perfect home. When a strange real-estate agent takes them to Yonder, a mysterious suburban neighborhood of identical houses, Tom and Gemma can’t leave quick enough. But when they try to exit the labyrinth-like housing development, each road takes them back to where they started. Soon, they realize their search for a dream home has plunged them into a terrifying nightmare.… Expand

Director: Lorcan Finnegan

Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Mystery, Horror, Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 97 min

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Critic Reviews

Jim Slotek

Mar 26, 2020

While I already miss the experience of seeing these films in a theatre, Vivarium does evoke TV precedents, most notably Twilight Zone in the cleanness of its premise and the parsing out of dark details on a need-to-know basis. Read full review

Screen Rant Hannah Hoolihan

Mar 26, 2020

Vivarium is a wonderfully strange and gripping thriller that examines the stresses of homeownership and starting a family, perhaps all-too-soon. Read full review

Donald Clarke

Apr 2, 2020

Moving from his standard New York neurotic, Eisenberg does a convincing job of moving from frustration to a violent, active mania. Poots is better still as someone who can’t find the words to communicate her growing despair. Read full review

Tim Grierson

Mar 26, 2020

The movie sometimes overstates its ideas, but Poots keeps Vivarium from being just a coy, chilly intellectual exercise. She adds flesh and soul to what might be the film’s most disturbing notion: In some ways, we all become encased in the lives we have stumbled into. Read full review

Barry Hertz

Mar 23, 2020

Vivarium is an exercise in wringing dry the audience’s emotions until we’re nothing but husks. For some, that could be appreciatively cathartic right about now. Myself, I felt little other than a deep and nagging depression. Read full review

A.A. Dowd

Mar 25, 2020

If you can look past the gallingly obvious and derivative metaphor, Vivarium has its moments of effective "Twilight Zone" creepiness. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Simon Abrams

Mar 27, 2020

Vivarium isn’t a fun watch, and not just because it’s generally claustrophobic and insistently bleak. Read full review

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User Reviews

Thelog32

Jul 22, 2020

A great piece of mindf**kery. If you enjoy weird and cerebral horror, you’ll dig this movie.

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

truerock

Aug 16, 2020

I like watching Imogen Poots perform her craft and that is why I decided to watch this film. Conversely, I've never particularly enjoyed Jesse Eisenberg's acting efforts and I think I actually avoid his work if I can - but, Vivarium provides some of his best efforts and I think I may needI like watching Imogen Poots perform her craft and that is why I decided to watch this film. Conversely, I've never particularly enjoyed Jesse Eisenberg's acting efforts and I think I actually avoid his work if I can - but, Vivarium provides some of his best efforts and I think I may need to adjust my thinking in that regard. Regardless, I completely understand casting Poots for her role - but, Eisenberg seems to be a poor choice for his role in my estimation.

So, if you spent time in your freshman dorm room discussing things like nihilism - you will probably enjoy this film. If you do not know what nihilism is - you will probably not enjoy this film.

Vivarium has a very straight forward, uncomplicated science fiction, horror plot. Nothing wrong with that - but, I don't think I can rate it higher than a 7 given its simplicity. If you owned an "ant farm" when you were a child, you probably know what a vivarium is. If you catch the bird-nest scenes at the beginning of the film you will understand the premise of the film.

I enjoyed the film and would recommend that the potential thinking-viewer will want to try it out. If you are looking for light, escapist diversion - you will want to look elsewhere.

Likewise, if you are an individual who requires all/most plot lines to resolve to some definitive end point and/or you do not deal with the reality of uncertainty - you will want to avoid Vivarium.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Ahmadsalman

Mar 27, 2020

An anxiety-free and enjoyable movie to watch during coronavirus self-isolation.

4 of 9 users found this helpful45

Merkk

Feb 13, 2022

This is y types of movie critics will be more likely to love because of 'art' while the average movie goer is going to feel .... Well you'll probably feel nothing. It's an interesting story to start with, and keeps you engaged waiting for some sort of explanation behind it all.
But thatThis is y types of movie critics will be more likely to love because of 'art' while the average movie goer is going to feel .... Well you'll probably feel nothing. It's an interesting story to start with, and keeps you engaged waiting for some sort of explanation behind it all.
But that never happens. If you just want to be entertained, skip this movie. If you want something that's a little bit more of a pshyco-horror art/think piece, then maybe you'll like this.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

RanMan85

Aug 9, 2020

This caught my eye bc I enjoy Jesse Eisenberg in nearly all of his acting roles. As always, his acting was superb in this film. Unfortunately, the story line, or lack there of, in this movie was so agonizingly drawn out that I feel like this is the worst movie (out of 100+) that I haveThis caught my eye bc I enjoy Jesse Eisenberg in nearly all of his acting roles. As always, his acting was superb in this film. Unfortunately, the story line, or lack there of, in this movie was so agonizingly drawn out that I feel like this is the worst movie (out of 100+) that I have wasted time watching during this pandemic.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

majidooo

May 3, 2020

Wasted my time !!! Empty Story, They could show our daily routines better, it's not necessarily to show it by this way,
The movie wasted 2 hours to tell you what you already knew in the first 10 minutes of the film

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Vargatyr

Mar 28, 2020

The movie spends the entire 2 hours trying to tell you what you already knew in the first 10 minutes of the film ( cuckoo bird ), but fails to deliver in all aspects of story telling. You are left with interpreting the director’s failed metaphor on suburban life being like in a vivariumThe movie spends the entire 2 hours trying to tell you what you already knew in the first 10 minutes of the film ( cuckoo bird ), but fails to deliver in all aspects of story telling. You are left with interpreting the director’s failed metaphor on suburban life being like in a vivarium that has no real freedom, and the clinical indifference of the alien zoo keepers ( that you learn nothing about ) as a stand in for society itself. Stay away, a waste of 2 hours that has zero entertainment value. Slower and more boring than the worst documentary you can think of. This films only purpose is to feed the ego of whatever “artist” is responsible for this trash. I think I spent more time writing this review than the director did in making this film.

Very disappointed that Jessie Eisenberg decided to be in such a film.… Expand

10 of 14 users found this helpful104

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