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Vivarium

Play trailer 1:30 Poster for Vivarium 2020 1h 37m Mystery & Thriller Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 155 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
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Vivarium

Vivarium

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Critics Consensus

Vivarium may confound almost as often as it intrigues, but this well-acted sci-fi/horror hybrid has interesting ideas -- and explores them with style.

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Critics Reviews

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Becca James Chicago Reader Vivarium's purgatory is more clear-cut, though that somehow doesn't make it any less mysterious... Dec 30, 2020 Full Review Danny Leigh Financial Times The story comes to a flawless punchline at almost exactly 27 minutes. The snag is that Vivarium has more than an hour still to run... Rated: 3/5 Apr 1, 2020 Full Review A.A. Dowd AV Club Domesticity sucks the life out of everyone. But it's thin thematic reward for seeing the wheels behind this performer's eyes grind to a halt. Rated: C+ Apr 1, 2020 Full Review Akos Peterbencze The Screen Starting with its pivotal opening sequence of a cuckoo pushing out hatchlings from their nest to claim it as its own, Lorcan Finnegan’s feature knows exactly what it’s doing and it uses every tool at its disposal to deliver us to a devastating conclusion. Dec 2, 2024 Full Review Ethan Gordon InSession Film Even though the two tried, they couldn't overcome a script that feels both apparent and undercooked. A good idea or two can only get you so far it seems. Rated: C Mar 21, 2024 Full Review Juan Pablo Russo EscribiendoCine Vivarium is a surprising and unique film that inspires reflection on the nature of reality and the struggle for freedom in an increasingly homogeneous and controlled world. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 8/10 Aug 3, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ralph R "Vivarium" is one of those movies that pulls you in with an interesting concept but leaves you questioning everything, especially the choices the characters make. The story follows a couple who find themselves trapped in a seemingly endless suburban neighborhood, forced into a bizarre and unsettling routine. The mystery keeps you engaged, but the characters’ decisions often feel frustrating. Not in a "bad script" way, but in a way that makes you wonder if they were written to be this passive on purpose. The pacing leans toward slow-burn horror, relying more on psychological unease than traditional scares. The directing does a solid job of maintaining tension, making the whole thing feel claustrophobic and surreal. The cinematography enhances this with sterile, repetitive visuals that emphasize the artificiality of their world. Acting-wise, Imogen Poots delivers a strong performance, while Jesse Eisenberg brings his usual style, which sometimes works but occasionally feels forced. The real standout is the child actor, his unsettling presence adds a lot to the film’s eerie atmosphere. There’s a lot of subtlety in how he moves and reacts, making you wonder whether his voice was altered or dubbed over in post. The script keeps things cryptic, and while that works for the tone, it also leaves some moments feeling underdeveloped. The lack of clear explanations may frustrate some viewers, but it’s clear that the movie is more about the experience than the answers. The sound design plays a big role in the tension, using unsettling audio cues to make certain scenes even more uncomfortable. Overall, Vivarium is a strange, thought-provoking film that raises more questions than it answers. If you like psychological horror with a heavy dose of surrealism, it’s worth a watch. Just don’t expect everything to make sense. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/25 Full Review Zintkala O Started of as a potentially good film, the couple wear kind of pathetic and lacked imagination in attempting to escape. The film didn't explain much, such as are they being drugged to be weaker, etc. You don't learn much about their abuducters/aliens and fizzles out into a morbid boring end where you wished you hadn't watched this far... Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/16/25 Full Review David S It took two hours of near constant irritation before the ending. A very unsatisfactory ending, too. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/16/25 Full Review Sherry R I watched this movie alone. The first thing I did when the movie was over was google the themes explained. In a way it is not deep and in some places long. That said, I am still thinking about it more than a week later. This would be best, IMO, watched with a group of friends and breaking at least twice in the movie to discuss what is going on. This is clearly meant to make viewers think about modern sex roles, social expectations, the randomness of nature and maybe even the meaning of death in life. Those are big themes and the movie is unsettling, thought provoking and slow moving enough to force the viewer to think about it. Questions are not answered. If you like that, this is the film for you. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/25 Full Review Zander S Literally the worst movie i’ve ever seen. Complete waste of an hour and 30 minutes. The entire main plot is figured out after about 20-30 minutes. The movie is incredibly slow paced, which usually I don’t mind, but after close to two hours of watching the same regurgitated scenes over and over again, getting to the end of the movie, only to find out the end shows you what you knew all along, is pointless for a film. This could’ve easily been made a 30 minute short film, maybe then it would be worth a watch. Theres no reason I should be able to read a 1 paragraph summary of a movie, and have been able to visualize the entire 1 hour and 37 minute “film”. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/25 Full Review Audience Member I love this movie a lot to all you who don't you're weird and just don't understand it like me ahhh I really like it Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Vivarium

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Director
Lorcan Finnegan
Producer
Brendan McCarthy, John McDonnell
Screenwriter
Garret Shanley
Production Co
Fantastic Films, PingPongFilm, Frakas Productions
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 25, 2020
Runtime
1h 37m
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