Splice

2010, Rated R, 104 minutes, Directed by Vincenzo Natali, Written by Vincenzon Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryand & Doug Taylor, Produced by Steven Hoban, Cinematography by Tetsuo Nagata, Original Music by Cyrille Aufort

With: Adrien Brody (Clive Nicoli), Sarah Polley (Elsa Kast), Delphine Chaneac (Dren), Brandon McGibbon (Gavin Nicoli), Simona Maicanescu (Joan Chorot), David Hewlett (William Barlow), Abigail Chu (Child Dren)

I believe that we are seeing a great resurgence of the science fiction genre. In 2009 we had many great sci-fi films: Star Trek, Moon, and District 9. The genre continues to be redefined by many of these movies. Splice is another wonderful addition to the genre and demonstrates continuing strength and originality. Splice manages to address issues of morality, science, family and commitment in a deep and intense way, and at the same time is an shockingly entertaining film.

Clive Nicoli (Adrien Brody) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley), character names that are an homage to “Bride of Frankenstein,” are two geneticists who work together and are in a relationship. They are working to splice DNA of animals together to create a new species that will enable them to use the new species to cure animal diseases by isolating the DNA of proteins and synthesizing it so they could mass produce them. They successfully create a new animal species and believe that they are ready to begin integrating human DNA into the splicing procedure so they can create a super species that will enable them to create a cure for many of the world’s diseases. Their funding corporation is not ready to dive into the venture and so Elsa decides it is time for the two of them to go rogue and do it themselves. Through much toil they are able to create a new creature that is birthed much faster than expected. This creature, whom the decide to call Dren (N.E.R.D., the company they work for, backwards), is full of surprises as any creature with multiple species’ DNA would. Clive and Elsa raise this creature as their own and when it gets too big for the basement of the lab, they move out to a farm and store Dren in an abandoned barn. 

Elsa and Clive grow into the role of parents to Dren and while studying her, raise her they way they think a child should be raised. They are essentially parents, the big difference being that they are acting guardians of a new species with countless unknowns that brings up a myriad of ethical and scientific quandaries and conflict leaving a plethora of opportunities to view these debates and ponder over them during and after the film. As any parent will tell you raising a child is not an easy task and when it comes to Dren, that is an understatement. Neither Elsa nor Clive now what to do in various situations and you are often on the edge of your seat wondering how they will respond when Dren misbehaves, or for example kills a cat, or tries to escape. Every situation creates an eerie sense of uncertainty as there is no way to predict how Dren will respond and it is always in the back of your mind that she has a venomous stinger that can strike at any moment. Many other problems develop but I will not go into greater detail here. I will say that there are several instances of very disturbing images as a result of Dren (viewer beware).

Splice succeeds on many cinematic levels. It is a low budget film that contains great consequence and discussion fodder. It uses a simple plot idea and continually pounds out the effects of that idea to really ingrain the movie in the viewers mind. The premise is filled with great ideas that will have each viewer thinking and discussing long after the credits roll. It employs foreshadowing so well that you do not even truly realize that it is clues until the film reaches its conclusion. 

Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley play their roles of devoted geneticists exceedingly well. You move along with them and you can see their minds churning as they think about the implications of their actions but at the same time consistently surge ahead for the purpose of science. They are wonderfully crafted dark characters whose motives you think you know but do not ever truly understand. Their chemistry is better than expected and this provided a great framework for the many ethical and moral discussions the two would have throughout the film. Dren is played by two actresses: young Dren is played by Abigail Chu and older Dren is played by Delphine Chaneac. These two do an excellent job of playing a non-speaking new species and bring out its emotions quite well with their facial expressions and body movements. I found every scene with Dren in the picture to be eerie and disturbing as she was this ambiguous creature with a tail, no hair save her eyebrows and lashes, a tail with a retracting venomous tip, and retractable wings. Most of this of course is visual effects but it was conveyed with a sense of realism so you adjust to the idea of a new creature really happening but, at least for me, could never fully adjust to the fact that there was a totally new species on the screen in front of you. This always kept the story tense and interesting.

The story itself was quite compelling as it was generally tense and emotive forcing the viewer to come to grips with the ideas being put into action on the screen. Perhaps come to grips is the wrong term; you must grapple with what was happening in front of their eyes. Every scene was a potential moral and ethical discussion and whether or not the characters had that discussions mattered little as your mind continued to process and debate the issue itself. Some of the discussions, however, could have been a little more hashed out instead of the characters simply summing the conversation up by saying how “f#$@% up” the situation was (and there were so many of those instances). At the same time however, these moral musings in the film forced the viewer to interact with the discussion more and think more about the issue than if it were all played out on the screen. 

Splice continually surprises all the way to the credits. It is an impeccably done movie that entertains, frightens, and forces contemplation all at the same time. It will shock you many times over and the images will remain in your head for days afterward (for better or worse). It is an exciting film done on a very tight budget (it only got a wide release after it made waves at Sundance and was bought up and widely distributed by Warner Bros.). Vincenzo Natali, after breaking from his home turf shall we say with “Paris, je t’aime,” and went came back to his roots to direct a film with a similar low budget, tense and surprising film like “Cube.” The film does not hold back and confronts the myriad of issues that come out of DNA manipulation and will have you on the edge of your seat not passively viewing, but actively engaging in the film, interpreting and debating the sequence of events and the moral and ethical boundaries of science.

B+

Content Advisory

many instances of language, several scenes with nudity and sex, adult content, and very disturbing images

Food for Thought/Discussion

1. How do Elsa and Clive “play God” in the movie? What are the consequences of their actions?

2. Elsa claims that with a human DNA spliced species they will be able to extract proteins that could potentially cure many of the incurable diseases in the world. How far is too far for the sake of scientific advancement and the medical “salvation” of the world?

3. Discuss the nature of the relationship between Elsa and Clive. Is it a healthy relationship? What impact does Dren have on that relationship?

4. Where does morality and ethical standards fit into Elsa and Clive’s worldview? Are there any characters that counters their view? What effect does that character (or lack thereof) have on their worldview?