The BBC may have aired some controversial films in the past – but tonight’s viewing on BBC 2 will feature one of the most controversial to date.
Not long ago, the BBC aired Threads, a war film so depressing it has been aired just four times since 1984.
Tonight though, rather than nuclear anxiety and Cold War panic, viewers will instead be served up a body horror so unsettling that it spawned mass walkouts at its first ever screening.
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The first ever screening took place at Cannes, with the ‘skin-crawling’ film earning both dozens of walkouts and a seven minute round of applause.
The film, called Crimes of the Future, is by the legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg.
What is Crimes of the Future about and who is in it?
The film has a star-studded cast led by Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart.
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Cronenberg made a film of the same name in 1970, but the 2022 version is not a remake despite sharing similar themes.
The film focuses on Mortensen as a performance artist who allows his organs to be operated on in a sexually charged ritual.
Taking place in a dystopian world, the film is full of bizarre moments, with the R rating not doing justice to the level of bonkers sh*t that takes place in the film.
What led to the walkouts?
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The first screening, which led to dozens of walkouts, was a public screening, with Variety saying they were ‘unable to stomach’ what was happening on screen.
A later press screening of the film reportedly led to just five critics walking out mid film.
When asked by Variety about the walkouts, Cronenberg said that the audience in Cannes is a ‘very strange one’ before going on to add: “It doesn’t make me sad [that people walked out.]
“I mean, the worst thing is if your movie is boring and I’ve been some screenings in Cannes where nobody walked out, but nobody cared about the movie either. And that would be very depressing.”
What did critics say about Crimes of the Future?
Responses to the film were mixed, with everyone agreeing it was mighty f*cked up, but not everyone agreeing on its artistic merits as a full film.
The movie has a convincing 80% on Rotten Tomatoes but every day film fans seem less convinced, with an average score of 5.8 on IMDb.
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In his review for Forbes, Scott Mendelson said: “It’s a skin-crawling sci-fi thriller that is horrifying precisely because it’s not treated as a horror flick.”
Deborah Ross of The Spectator was less keen, saying in her review: “In this instance, the most shocking thing is that it’s so muddled and dreary. It’s a gore-fest, true enough, but it’s a gore-fest that is mostly a snooze-fest.”
When can I watch it tonight and will I be able to watch it after that?
Crimes of the Future airs on BBC Two tonight at 11pm, and per the BBC’s website will be available to watch ‘shortly after broadcast’.
Topics: TV and Film, Film, Horror, BBC, Cannes Film Festival
Michael Slavin