Robert Pattinson might be one of the world’s most famous former vampires, but those days are far behind him now.

In High Life, which came out in UK cinemas this past weekend, he looks to have nailed playing Monte, an astronaut alone on a prison ship, except for an infant named Willow (Scarlett Lindsey) and the bodies of his dead crew.

If that sounds a little grim, it is, and Willow’s backstory isn’t exactly a fairytale, either:

A man whose strict self-discipline is a shield against desire, Monte fathered her against his will. His sperm was used to inseminate the young woman who gave birth to her. They were members of a crew of prisoners – death row inmates.

Through his daughter, he experiences the birth of an all-powerful love. Together, father and daughter approach their destination – the black hole in which time and space cease to exist.

Before we get to the reviews of the film, let’s see the trailer:

Looks suitably foreboding.

We’ll start with the Rolling Stone review, which says the movie “will blow your mind”:

Yes, there’s a chill in the French filmmaker’s [ Claire Denis’] intellectual precision. Yet this brilliant innovator offers the sight of Monte connecting emotionally with the grown Willow (Jessie Ross), the child he never wanted, as the years take them closer to oblivion. The actor even sings a lullaby to Willow over the end credits. Is that a glimmer of hope poking through this bleak space odyssey? With Denis there’s always more than meets the prism of snap judgements. Let the movie mess with your head.

The Guardian gave it five stars, saying that as Monte, “Pattinson is as subtle, exacting and unpredictable as he’s ever been, transmitting bone-deep loneliness and resigned fatalism”.

Finally, the Independent says the movie “startles us with its originality and offbeat lyricism”, praising Pattinson, who “makes his shaven-headed, gaunt-faced character seem hyper naturally sensitive and feral at the same time”.

I get the feeling this might not be the perfect first date movie, but should be worth a watch.

[sources:rollingstone&guardian&independent]