Caitlin Cronenberg charts her own path with her debut film, Human

Her last name is synonymous with cinematic nightmares, but Caitlin Cronenberg says she doesn’t feel obligated to live up to her famous father’s legacy when stepping into the director’s chair. The Toronto native’s first feature film, entitled Human (Humane), comes out Friday.

The director is well aware that her film will invite comparisons to the darker work of Canadian horror pioneer David Cronenberg, whose landmark films include Rage (Rabid), Fly (The Fly) And Alter Ego (Dead Ringers).

I’m sure there are certain expectations people have about the kind of filmmaker I’m going to be, the kind of film I’m going to releasesaid the 39-year-old woman during an interview in Toronto.

body horror]or rather science fiction, but you can’t please everyone.”,”text”:”I try not to think about it too much or worry about it because I have enough confidence in me as an artist. I know what I’m trying to do. So I’m sorry for the people who will be disappointed that this isn’t more of a horror film about the human body [body horror] or rather science fiction, but you can’t please everyone.”}}”>I try not to think about it too much or worry about it because I’m pretty confident in myself as an artist. I know what I’m trying to do. So I’m sorry for the people who will be disappointed that this isn’t more of a horror film about the human body [body horror] or rather science fiction, but you can’t please everyone.

Human has its moments of gory horror, but Caitlin Cronenberg says she wasn’t trying to follow in the grisly footsteps of her father or her brother Brandon, who made his film debut in 2012 with the horror film and science fiction Antiviral.

Suspense and dark humor

She describes her film as a satirical and dark horror comedy-suspense about a fractured family dynamic. The film is set during an ecological collapse that forces world leaders to take drastic measures to combat overpopulation.

Peter Gallagher plays a patriarch who decides to enlist in the government’s new national euthanasia program. This pushes her children – played by Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Alanna Bale and Sebastian Chacon – into a violent argument.

In HumanCaitlin Cronenberg largely avoids the disgusting elements often associated with the works of her father and brother, favoring dark humor instead.

We are all very differentCaitlin Cronenberg said about her family. I’m happy to be influenced by the family I grew up in, as I think everyone is, for better or worse. But for me, it’s just about what I’m trying to create in the world. I’m glad it’s different.

Beginnings as a photographer

Caitlin Cronenberg has already made a name for herself as a photographer, with her portraits of celebrities appearing in publications such as the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Variety And Esquire. She also photographed the album’s memorable cover Views by Drake in 2016, in which the Toronto rapper is seen sitting atop the CN Tower.

She has already tried directing. In addition to directing several music videos, she co-directed the 2018 short film The Endings, based on a photo book she co-wrote with set designer Jessica Ennis. The short film starred actresses Julianne Moore, Keira Knightley and Tatiana Maslany.

She also produced and toured The Death of David Cronenberg in 2021, a one-minute surreal short film that his father directed and starred in.

The director says entering the world of feature films was a natural progression. She was already considering this idea when the screenwriter and producer of HumanMichael Sparaga, emailed him the first draft of the script in 2019.

While her father and brother write and direct, Caitlin Cronenberg says she imagines things visually before thinking about them on a page. : I go visual first and they go scripted”,”text”:”Obviously my dad and my brother also have an incredible sense of visual style, but I think it’s just an order of activities : I first go through the visual and they go through the script”}}”>Obviously my dad and brother also have an incredible sense of visual style, but I think it’s just an order of business: I go visual first and they go script first.she explained.

Although her father provided notes on the film, the filmmaker says they were minimal. I think my dad is convinced that I’m ready to do what I’m trying to do. I don’t think he was too worried about itshe said.

He is an encouraging father. So it was really fun to have him there and show him the rough cuts. I’m also a parent and I think we get excited when our child does something that makes them happy.