Shudder Secrets: Humane
Because of her name, Caitlin Cronenberg’s feature debut Humane warrants attention within the horror community. Unlike her dad’s body of work, however, Humane is less concerned with body horror and much more interested in class politics, current divisions, and even ecological collapse. This film is very different in tone than her father and brother, Brandon Cronenberg’s filmography, and that’s a good thing. Let her carve out her own voice as a filmmaker.
Though Humane may struggle somewhat with a consistent tone and what it’s actually trying to say, it’s still a decent feature debut. It shows promise and potential for the 39-year-old filmmaker.
Ecological Collapse and Humane’s Not-Too-Distant Future Setting
Humane operates on the premise that there’s been ecological collapse. Because of this, humanity must shed its population by 20 percent or face extinction. Commercials urge people to volunteer for a program in which government workers come to the house and essentially kill a family member. Volunteers are then treated like heroes, with their names and pictures flashing across TVs screens.
On paper, this is a really interesting premise that doesn’t seem all that far-fetched. Consider the record-breaking temperatures we’ve had this summer and heat waves that stretch for weeks and weeks at a time. Yes, the planet is on fire, and no, it’s not unrealistic to imagine a future like the one presented in this film.
The feature never really shows the ecological collapse. Instead, attention turns to a wealthy family, the Yorks. The patriarch, Charles (Peter Gallagher), and his wife, Dawn (Uni Park), decide to volunteer for the program together. They want to spare their children from being picked at random. Initially, this seems like a noble act, right? Two billionaires volunteer to save their children. However, Dawn bails, and then, well, the film turns into something else entirely.
Humane’s Family Feud
Because Dawn and Charles signed up for the program, a worker, Bob (Enrico Colantoni), shows up at the house and informs the children that someone else needs to be chosen to replace Dawn. This leads to squabbling, bickering, and literal fighting among siblings to decide who will take Dawn’s place.
It’s here where the film first falters. It becomes like a bad and bloody version of Family Feud. Yes, there are some good performances here, especially Emily Hampshire as Rachel York and Sebastian Chacon as Noah York, a recovering addict who initially seems to have a good heart and wants to get his life on track. Rachel, though, wants to volunteer him, believing he brings little value to the family.
In short, it’s really tough to care for any of these characters, except the youngest, Mia (Sirena Gulamgaus), who just seems caught in the middle of the squabbling and all the talk about who should die. They’re all pretty horrible people, ready and willing to turn on each other. It’s sibling against sibling.
That said, the worker, Bob, who’s initially depicted as a guy just trying to do his job, isn’t all that great either. He has some class rage, which may be justified, but it’s presented in such clunky fashion that he sounds like a Trumper at times, ready to rail against the elites and scream drain the swamp. Again, this film really has very few, if any, good characters. Is that the point? Facing an extinction-level event, are all humans simply terrible? The ending alludes to the fact that uber-wealthy families like the Yorks will always be okay, even if the climate and society collapse. That makes this whole feature even more frustrating.
Still, the film does have some really good dark humor moments, especially Hampshire’s role. She makes quite a villain, too. The initial concept of a volunteer program to save humanity is interesting as well. The COVID parallels are also there, including some York family members eager to blame Asia for the current situation. But this feels shallow at best. If the director wanted to, she could have pushed the parallels further.
As a first feature, Humane has some positives and an engaging concept. The execution falters at times, and the tone wildly varies. Still, I’m excited enough after watching this to see what Caitlin Cronenberg does next.
Humane arrives on Shudder on July 26. Keep updated on Shudder’s latest releases by following my Shudder Secrets column.
Brian Fanelli is a poet and educator who also enjoys writing about the horror genre. His work has been published in The LA Times, World Literature Today, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Horror Homeroom, and elsewhere. On weekends, he enjoys going to the local drive-in theater with his wife or curling up on the couch, and binge-watching movies with their cat, Giselle.