Vivarium

A young couple looking to purchase a home together find themselves trapped in a mysterious housing estate called Yonder.

"Vivarium" is a sci-fi horror film that challenges both your nerve and concentration. The intentionally ironic title is Latin for "place of life." The only life we see is via four characters - a property salesman, the aforementioned couple, and an unusual 'child' they're given to raise. The only landscape we see is an empty, labyrinthine expanse of identical houses. There's a deliberate focus on repetition, which whilst building tension and claustrophobia, does unfortunately become monotonous. Strong performances bring to life a story that is both mundane and bizarre, strangely absorbing in its tedium. Bleak... black... Yonder beckons!

Limited Release 16th April 2020
Umbrella Entertainment 98 mins