Brandon Cronenberg, a name that a few days ago had nothing more than a curious similarity to David Cronenberg's, until I stumbled upon the paternity test: the synopsis of Antiviral (2012), his debut film that assures he will be following daddy's steps. By Ropes of Sillicon, "Syd March, an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Syd also supplies illegal samples of these viruses to piracy groups, smuggling them from the clinic in his own body. When he becomes infected with the disease that kills super sensation Hannah Geist, Syd becomes a target for collectors and rabid fans. He must unravel the mystery surrounding her death before he suffers the same fate.".
Horror, perhaps even body horror, disease of the individual as a result of some kind of overweighting social power (in this case, fame) and running for your life. It's all there and this is suddenly one of the films I most expect to hear from France next week, as it will compete on the Un Certain Regard section. The film will star Caleb Landry Jones as Syd, Sarah Gadon as Hannah and a bit of the good old Malcom McDowell as Dr. Abendroth.
