Baby Invasion is a 2024 American experimental thriller film written and directed by Harmony Korine, produced through his EDGLRD multimedia company. The film centers on a home invasion in which the intruders' faces have been swapped with baby faces using artificial intelligence.[1] According to Korine, the film is structured as a first-person shooter game with interactive elements.[2]
| Baby Invasion | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Harmony Korine |
| Screenplay by | Harmony Korine |
| Produced by | Judd Allison Xlord |
| Edited by | Adam Robinson Leo Scott |
| Music by | Burial |
Production companies | EDGLRD Picture Perfect |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, on August 31, 2024.[1] The film had its United States premiere at Fantastic Fest 2024, on September 23, 2024.[3]
Premise
editIn a first person shooter game leaked to the dark web, a group of mercenaries disguised with baby faces invade mansions of the wealthy and powerful.[4] However, as gamers livestream the game, the protagonists’ gang of horrific murders may or may not be happening in real life.
Production
editIn an interview with Variety, Korine characterized Baby Invasion as well as his previous EDGLRD production Aggro Dr1ft as works of "post-cinema" he termed "blinx" for their unconventional nature.[2] Visual effects for Baby Invasion were created using artificial intelligence and video game engines.[2] British electronic producer Burial created an original score for the film.[4] Of the score, Korine said, "I never actually met Burial and I never actually spoke with Burial. So it was all done through Discord messages, and we'd kind of talk on PS5. And then the music was sent through PS5."[5]
Release
editBaby Invasion premiered out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2024.[1] During the Venice press conference, Korine sat next to visual effects artist Joao Rosa and fellow filmmaker Gaspar Noé, who was wearing a neon green mask, and smoked a cigar, causing smoke to fill the conference room. He expressed that "Hollywood ... would be smart to — encourage the youth, the kids. Why we're starting to see Hollywood crumble creatively is because they’re losing a lot of the most creative minds to gaming and to streaming. They're so locked in on convention and then all those kids who are so creative are now just going to find other pathways and go to other places because movies are no longer the dominant art form." He also revealed that, "When we release the film, there'll be a way to watch it through your phone, but there'll be certain codes within the movie that'll take you to other movies. So the film, what you're seeing, is just a base layer film. There'll be three or four other sub films."[5]
Reception
editOn Metacritic, the film holds an average score of 36 out of 100 based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[6]
Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a mixed review, writing "though little more than a gimmick, the baby angle gives Korine a hook for an experiment that’s only intermittently engaging for much of its running time."[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c Bergeson, Samantha (23 July 2024). "Harmony Korine Stages a First-Person Shooter with Infant-Faced Intruders — 'Baby Invasion' First Look". IndieWire. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Debruge, Peter. "Harmony Korine Sounds Off on 'Aggro Dr1ft,' TikToks Being Better Than Movies and More: 'I Feel Nothing' and 'Dead Inside' Watching Films". Variety. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Film Guide". www.fantasticfest.com. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ a b Slingerland, Calum. "Burial Scores Harmony Korine's New Film 'Baby Invasion'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ a b Shafer, Ellise (August 31, 2024). "Harmony Korine Says Hollywood Is Starting to 'Crumble Creatively' While Smoking Cigar at Venice Press Conference: 'Movies Are No Longer the Dominant Art Form'". Variety. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ "Baby Invasion". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (2024-08-31). "'Baby Invasion' Review: Harmony Korine's Latest Brain-Barf Synthesizes a Career's Worth of Big Ideas". Variety. Retrieved 2024-09-12.