High Life is an art-house film worth paying attention to, but I can't guarantee you'll love the experience.
One of the most polarising and intriguing films I've seen this year, it's a story filled with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness, cruelty, and is heavy on the metaphor - some obvious, some head-scratching.
The story explores how we deal with the idea of nothing; of finding yourself floating towards impending death on the edge of our solar system, with no hope, no chance of life. Yip, it's as cheery as it sounds.
High Life is the work of veteran French film-maker Claire Denis (Beau Travail, 35 Shots of Rum), and at age 73 this is the first time the director has made an English language film and used a Hollywood heartthrob in the lead role - in this case, Twilight star Robert Pattinson.
Pattinson continues to make his mark in the art-house market and provides the perfect anchor with a warm and emotional performance in a largely sparse and grim sci-fi adventure. He plays Monte, who with his young baby daughter, Willow, is the last surviving member of a spacecraft heading to the outer reaches of our solar system on a suicide mission to harvest energy from a black hole.
