Here’s our review for the new film “Humane” — a twisted horror comedy from debut filmmaker Caitlin Cronenberg…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
Like it or not, nepotism exists in just about every industry and that includes Hollywood.
There’s been a rampant debate about the so-called “nepobabies” — stars who got their start largely due to mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters or other relatives opening the door for them to get a foot into the industry. There are those like Emma Roberts who claim that nepotism actually hurt her career (yeah, right) and those such as Jack Quaid, who fully embraces that he got a leg up on the competition because his father is Dennis Quaid and his mother is Meg Ryan.
In other words, nepobabies, just embrace it and as long as you’re talented, nobody is really going to care in the end.
That brings us to the new 2024 horror-comedy “Humane” directed by first time filmmaker Caitlin Cronenberg. If that last name sounds familiar, it should. That’s because Caitlin is the daughter of legendary director David Cronenberg and the sister to highly touted horror and sci-fi director Brandon Cronenberg.
While Caitlin has directed a couple of short films and she’s been working in and around the movie industry almost her entire life, “Humane” is the first time she stepped behind the camera for a full feature and it’s safe to say that talent runs in the family.
“Humane” takes place in the future at time when the climate crisis has depleted natural resources to the point where governments are sanctioning euthanasia to thin out the population to make supplies last longer. The program allows willing volunteers to enter into an agreement to die and in return, the government pays out a sizable chunk of change to their surviving families in return for the sacrifice.
For Charles York (Peter Gallagher) — a famed news broadcaster who wants for nothing — he’s started to contemplate a world where he and his wife give up their lives for the greater good. Unlike so many people volunteering to be euthanized for the payoff going to their families, Charles and his wife Dawn don’t need the money but they’ve decided the shuffle off this mortal coil together with hopes that their deaths will contribute to the betterment of the planet.
So Charles assembles all of his children — the eldest Jared (played by Jay Baruchel) is an anthropologist and frequent guest on TV who agrees with the government’s plan to thin out the population, the eldest daughter Rachel, who is a corrupt pharmaceutical company CEO facing a massive lawsuit, then there’s Ashley, a struggling actress, and finally Noah, the adopted son and piano playing prodigy who is also attempting to recover from drug addiction following a tragic car accident — to inform them that he and his wife Dawn plan to die.
As shocked as they all are by the decision, Charles has already signed up as a volunteer and the service coming to collect his dead body arrive before desert can even be served! As Charles prepares to pass over to the afterlife, he finds a note from Dawn saying that she can’t go through with it.
Ultimately, Charles decides to follow through with his promise to sacrifice himself to help save the planet but the government service contracted to carry out the euthanasia informs the rest of the York family that they came to collect two bodies, no exceptions. In other words, with Dawn gone, one of them needs to take her place — and it’s up to them to decide which of them dies.
That sets off a harrowing battle for survival as the family attempts to band together but soon realize that tearing each other apart would be much easier, especially considering whether they like it or not, one of them is leaving in a body bag.
The chain of events that follows is both hilarious and predictable in the best way possible because you know these self-serving rich kids may pretend to love each other but it’s been a survival of the fittest between them ever since birth. Years earlier they may have just been fighting over the front seat on a family road trip but those same rivalries bubble up to the surface again when it’s clear that one of them isn’t walking out of their father’s house alive.
The performances throughout the film are really solid but the true standout is Enrico Colantoni as Bob, the quirky leader of the death squad sent to collect the bodies and perform the euthanasia on the willing participants. It’s Colantoni’s performance that transforms this film from a decent enough thriller to a truly funny examination of family dynamics and the instinct to do whatever it takes to stay breathing.
The nonchalant way that Bob delivers the devastating news that one of them has to die comes across like he’s probably done this 1,000 times before because the emotion of this situation doesn’t seem to affect him whatsoever. He also endures a tense but hilariously fraught evening with Rachel’s daughter Mia, who is ineligible to sacrifice herself because she’s still a minor.
For such a serious subject with family members attempting to hunt and kill each other, Cronenberg has a magical way of injecting humor in almost every scene in the film. There are a few serious moments as well, especially revolving around Noah after he becomes an obvious target as the adopted brother who never quite lived up to his parents’ expectations.
Now to be clear, this film isn’t exactly re-inventing the wheel. There are plenty of beats that you’ll see coming about a mile away but this isn’t supposed to be some incredibly elaborate mystery where you’re stuck trying to figure out who lives and who dies. Instead, this is a goofy horror-comedy that leans much further into funny than scary or thrilling.
That said, it’s a solid debut for Cronenberg and proof that she can direct a feature with similar originality as her father and brother (who have both made outstanding films of their own). Hardcore horror fans might be disappointed because this isn’t particularly scary but rather a thriller with plenty of comedic overtones — just make sure you know that going in and you’ll probably enjoy this one a whole lot more.
“Humane” is a film that dabbles in dysfunctional family dynamics the way Caitlin Cronenberg’s brother took a deep dive on excess and privilege in his film “Infinity Pool.” Neither are perfect but both are really fun.
“Humane” is currently streaming on Shudder.
“Humane” gets 3 1/ 2 out of 5 Tarmans:
