In the new film “Vivarium” directed by Lorcan Finnegan, actress Imogen Poots finds herself playing a character thrust into a situation where she and her significant other (Jesse Eisenberg) are ensnared in a suburban fever dream where comfort is replaced by hysteria and horror. Based on a story by Finnegan and screenwriter Garret Shanely, “Vivarium” is a two-hander, but Poots is the one who gets the real chance to shine as a young woman forced to deal with what it means to lead an ideal and comfortable life in a heightened, dread-inducing setting.
Our review from Cannes said, “Eisenberg and Poots have convincing chemistry and anchor the surreal narrative in reality. The moments of tenderness between the two offer an accurate portrait of a marriage and act as a respite from the purgatory of their situation.”
Poots has been an indie darling for a while now with films such as “Filth,” “Green Room,” and last year’s “The Art of Self-Defense” (where she also starred opposite Eisenberg) exposing new layers of the actresses abilities. We spoke to her about her latest film and getting to work with co-star Eisenberg again as well as the tension the film creates, especially now with our current situation.
What first drew you to “Vivarium?”
The script just seemed really unique to me. It was one of those sensations reading it where I wasn’t quite sure what it was – it was kind of genre-less even though it was being presented as a psychological horror/science fiction film. As a person and actress, I was really intrigued to meet the folks behind it. Also, it was coming out of Ireland, and I think Ireland has a great cinematic history of otherworldly ideas so I really wanted to tap into their mindset.
You’ve worked with Jesse Eisenberg on a few projects before ( “Solitary Man,” “The Art of Self Defense”) – how was it getting the chance to collaborate with him again and so soon after the last project?
It was really, really amazing. I love him so much and actually we really needed someone to come on board to play that part and it was really incredible that it was Jesse who stepped in. I just knew it was going to be incredible because we’d worked together before “The Art of Self-Defense” on a film called “Solitary Man” about a decade ago when we were little munchkins. It’s so cool to work with someone who you already have that relationship with because you don’t have to do any small talk and you don’t end up kind of socially bankrupt by the end of the day. You’re completely in tune with each other. It was really fun despite being such a tense film.
What is it like balancing what is a very bleak film in nature with the natural humor you two bring to the roles? Does some of that come from the atmosphere you build on set?
I think so, sometimes I find it dependent on the nature of the scene. There really isn’t such a different energy between one of hysteria, whether it be horror or exhilaration, and joy, so sometimes we can’t help but stay in either one of those states – usually the happy one for everyone else’s benefit, but then you can still ride on that adrenaline. We laughed a lot about stupid stuff so no one got pretension in that way. We stayed in our lane and just got back to our weird art-house film.
Can you talk a little bit about getting to work with the director, Lorcan Finnegan?
Lorcan was really interesting. He’s really a wonderful person, to begin with, which is always great when you’re working on an indie with someone. You want to work harder for those people – you want to work hard anyway – but you want to go the extra mile when someone is such a good person. I thought that he was really smart when it came to the tone of the performances. As someone who made the mistake in the past of trying to match the tone to the project that doesn’t really work or translate and help the story, I thought he was really smart to help advise us and steer us in the direction of something very naturalistic. So the absurdity and surreal nature of the film could live in its own realm as it were and we just sort of had to act more depending on the situation. I think in the wrong hands it could’ve become too dense or be taken too seriously or far too cartoonish.
Is there something about these heightened genre films that are appealing to you or has it sort of just been the luck of the draw so to speak?
I’m sure it’s a combination of both, there’s been no sort of great plan. I think that in a way it’s boiled down to how genre films can explore obscure subjects and get away with it. I think that it’s just something I enjoy to watch and my favorite sorts of horror films are ones like “Stoker,” something more psychological. I think they’re also great opportunities for women too because you get to see a protagonist pushed up against their own endurance and their threshold. I don’t think anyone should do too much of one thing, however.
It does seem that you’ve managed to avoid being pigeonholed in any one type of role or film. Is there a role or filmmaker though that you’re still eager to work with?
Definitely. I mean, Kelly Reichardt, my number one hero. I think her work is just incredible and the stories she tells and the performances she gets out of her actors are incredible and so good. I think about a film like “A Ghost Story” by David Lowery which blew me away because it was so unusual, it’s the type of film that comes around that’s just so rare. I think the Zellner Brothers are really talented with “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” and all that. I think there are some folks out there who I just love their movies who I think would be great collaborators. Charlie Kaufman – you know, the obvious ones.
It must be strange to work on a film that, by the time of the release, is immensely timely, even more so now that it was before with its themes of isolation and does that change its impact on you ?
I think it does change some elements because initially when you first make the film and then bring it to a festival people ask you to unpack certain ideas within it and you might say oh yeah “We were thinking about the housing crisis” or I was thinking about motherhood. But then something like this happens and you do look at it in a new way. In a way, it’s interesting because you hope with projects that it will hold new ideas, but also it’s beautifully cyclical in a way where you can apply something that’s happening right now to a project or film that’s been made in the past. I thought a lot about the idea of paradise and the idea of right now and how we have a lot of time on our hands. Paradise is depicted as having a lot of time, of having your health, a kid and cable TV and these things translate as hell in the film. The idea of society I think – the idea of one size fits all – I think those ideas still apply and were concerns before the coronavirus. What about all the issues we were dealing with pre-this happening and I think all of that comes into play with the film. Some things have been totally amplified recently though. Your identity – if I’m not acting and sitting in a room, there’s some really disconcerting information about what we represent.
It’s really an effective punch to the mouth because you really do reconsider your situation differently. But also it makes you think oh, maybe I should be a better daughter instead of a better actor.
After all that – is there a takeaway you’re hoping for from people who see the film?
I hope that it isn’t too depressing because there is a question of with everything going on right now, is it something you want to be watching depending on being outside in Maine where you are – you know – pleasant places to be and indulge in “Vivarium” or if you’re actually living in a “Vivarium” type of space it’s probably not what you want to be exposed to. I found myself the other night watching “A Quiet Place” so I’m gravitating towards work that represents how I’m feeling right now. I hadn’t seen it before and I really enjoyed it and I wonder if I would have enjoyed it with such attention and relation had I been in a different period of this year. I do think that there is hope in the “Vivarium” though and humor that carries through. It’s dark humor but it’s there and I think there’s something cathartic about seeing something try to make sense of the world we’re in. It’s a potent moment in film in that sense.
“Vivarium” is available now on VOD.