Director: Vincenzo Natali
Writers: Vincenzo Natali, Doug Taylor, Antoinette Terry Bryant
Starring: Sarah Polley, Adrien Brody
Release Date: June 4, 2010
Length: 1 hour 46 minutes
Taking place in a time in the world where science is far ahead of what it is today, Elsa (Sarah Polley) and Clive (Adrien Brody) are two young rebellious scientists who have been creating new species to cure different diseases. When the couple realizes they might be able to cure some forms of cancer, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s by combining human DNA with animal DNA, they go to the head of their company. When their idea is declined, Elsa and Clive go ahead with their experiment, without anyone knowing. What looks like a mutated baby with a tail is born in their lab and is growing at an increasing rate. While Clive starts to regret this project, Elsa becomes personally attached to the creature of which they name Dren. As Dren gets older, it becomes harder and harder to keep her a secret, not only because Elsa and Clive could be fired or even arrested but also because as Dren gets older, she is becoming more and more dangerous to everything around her. As someone who personally detests watching horror films because I don’t end up watching any of them without covering my eyes, I can’t understand how I loved this movie and will forever be deeply disturbed by it. This must be what people love about horror movies, but after seeing Splice, I almost feel guilty about enjoying a film that was beyond disgusting. Maybe it was the fantastic script, which made the setting of the film unidentifiable in a creepy and not careless way. Maybe it was Vincenzo Natali’s directing that made this film more than a horror movie, but a complex film involving science, that also scares you. I know for a fact though that I wouldn’t have enjoyed Splice as much as I did without the incredible performances from Canadian actor, Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody. I have always classified Adrien Brody as one of the best young actors in Hollywood, so it was no surprise that he was exceptional in Splice. Having not seen Polley in anything before, but understanding she was a child/teenage actor, I was completely blown away with her portrayal of the confusing and possibly insane Elsa. The pair performed so well though because I found they worked amazingly off each other. With the help of director Vincenzo Natali, Polley and Brody managed to create a steady transition of their characters being happy to being driven crazy together by the whole situation. Although I still had my eyes in front of my face at some points of the film, the acting, the directing and the writing couldn’t have been any more perfect in Splice.
