David Cronenberg made heads explode. Then two of his kids became directors. Who carries the family legacy better?
This week on CinemaJam Versus: Possessor (2020, written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg) vs Humane (2024, directed by Caitlin Cronenberg, written by Michael Sparaga). Sebastian and Pablo put the Cronenberg siblings in the ring: an assassin who hijacks other people's bodies with a brain implant vs a family forced to decide which of them gets euthanized before dessert. Six rounds, no hard feelings. Probably some hard feelings.
What we get into:
- Body horror vs social horror: Brandon keeps Dad's gore alive with practical, in-camera effects; Caitlin swaps it for a pitch-black dinner-party satire that plays closer to Knives Out than Scanners.
- Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott playing the same person in two bodies, and Jennifer Jason Leigh stealing every movie we put her in (Annihilation, The Hateful Eight, and now this).
- Enrico Colantoni's Bob, the government bureaucrat with "layer on top of layer," and Peter Gallagher's world-class eyebrows.
- Pablo's confession: was Brandon just trying to out-gross his dad?
- "That's the worst family I've ever seen." Why nobody in Humane is worth rooting for (except one sibling).
- The bonus question: if David, Brandon and Caitlin all opened a movie the same weekend, which ticket do you buy?
One film sweeps. One barely scores. Watch to find out which Cronenberg kid takes the belt.
Timestamps:
00:00 Cold open: the Cronenberg family feud
00:52 Welcome to CinemaJam Versus
02:31 Why these two movies?
05:00 Round 1: Script
13:13 Round 2: Acting
17:37 Round 3: Direction
19:52 Round 4: Soundtrack
23:59 Round 5: Memorable Moments
29:10 Round 6: Rewatchability
31:38 The winner
31:52 Bonus: David, Brandon or Caitlin?
33:12 Wrap-up
Movies mentioned:
- Possessor (2020), dir. Brandon Cronenberg
- Humane (2024), dir. Caitlin Cronenberg
- Antiviral (2012), dir. Brandon Cronenberg
- Scanners (1981), The Fly (1986), A History of Violence (2005), Eastern Promises (2007), dir. David Cronenberg
- Annihilation (2018), The Hateful Eight (2015)
- Knives Out (2019)
Which Cronenberg kid did it better, Brandon or Caitlin? Tell us in the comments.
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