The Reel Review
A young collector of spiders unleashes chaos when a rare, poisonous spider escapes and starts laying eggs all over his rundown apartment building on the outskirts of Paris. Theo Christine and Sofia Lasaffre star in this French creature feature.
Infested, also known by its original title Vermines, plays into the general public’s continued fear of spiders, these unpredictable eight-legged-creatures, some who can inflict pain (and rotting flesh) with just a single bite. Co-writer/director Sebastien Vanicek, in his feature film debut, keeps the suspense taut, as each group of hatchlings becomes larger than the last. By the second half of the film, the spiders are enormous.
Much of the film is dimly lit, which while setting a spooky mood, makes the action hard to follow at times. Although the story itself is pretty basic, Vanicek does inject social commentary about how authorities too often treat immigrants from Africa and the Arab world with disdain and a lack of respect. While not groundbreaking, Infested achieves what it sets out to do.
REEL FACTS
• The setting for Infested is the Picasso arenas (buildings) that were built in Noisy-le-Grand, near Paris, in the 1980s.
• Infested (Vermines) director Sebastien Vanicek says he wanted to portray the discrimination faced by Africans and Arabs in France. That led him to spiders, which are rarely welcomed in homes.
• Infested was nominated for two 2024 Cesar Awards, for Best Visual Effects and Best First Film.
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