While many people complain that 'nothing happens' in this dark tale, it is the set, mood and character studies that are on show. It's true, a few scenes could have been trimmed, and some important reveals are passed over too quickly, but overall the pacing and length of the film are acceptable.
While Eisenb is competent enough (I imagine he can choose to be in any film he wants) his performance is muted and he doesn't really shine. Maybe this is a director thing. Poots, on the other hand, is amazing, well worth watching the film just to see her performance as she goes down into the depths of her soul. She has a wider role to play than Eisenb and she is the star of the show.
Reminiscent of Dogville or Cube with their minimalist sets, the setting for Vivarium also provides a chilling canvas against which the characters are seen to strugggle. There is little distraction from the inner turmoil.
Categorizing this pan-European production (you know the film is going to be different when you see the opening credits and who was involved in making it) is not easy. The genre 'comedy' as appears in IMDB is whimsical to say the least. Sci-fi/drama, though horror - not in a traditional sense- could also be used.
Vivarium left me thinking, and as I prefer not to have a Hollywood ending (wait for the Holywood remake in a few years with a very different ending) I was curiously satisfied.
