In Vitro, 2025.
Directed by Will Howarth & Tom McKeith.
Starring Will Howarth, Talia Zucker, and Ashley Zukerman.
SYNOPSIS:
On an isolated homestead in the near future, cattle breeders Layla and Jack discover a disturbing presence on their property.
In Vitro is a creepy piece of Australian cinema that focuses on new techniques of farming and the chilling consequences that might spin out from messing too much with biology. Also concentrating on the claustrophobic sense of danger when living in a desolate part of the world without strong community networks, the story blends high tech nightmare with relationship trauma.
Set in that classic ‘near future’ of dystopia, this sci-fi/horror tells the story of Layla (Talia Zuker) and Jack (Ashley Zukerman) who are struggling cattle farmers. Various climate crises and a worsening economic outlook have prompted them to look at new opportunities. Those new opportunities, mostly sought out by Jack without the full consent or knowledge of Layla, involve cloning technology, to increase their stock and make it easier for them in general.
At least, that’s the idea. We know that something is off between the couple, and the real horror at play in the script is how a relationship can turn sour under extreme circumstances. And circumstances certainly become extreme around halfway through this slow burn of a film.
The idea of cloning tech and its possible negative consequences is well explored in the film. Decent performances from both leads, Talia Zuker and Ashley Zukerman, powerfully anchor the narrative, helping to promote a stark view of a world that could be just around the corner. Their portrayals effectively convey an escalating paranoia and the moral ambiguities at work in the whole idea of cloning for profit.
Whether In Vitro will have as profound an impact on audiences not entirely sympathetic to the specific plights of rural cattle farmers remains to be seen. However, regardless of one’s stance on the use of land for cattle, the looming spectre of cloning technology will undoubtedly become a very real issue for society to contend with in the near future.
The film captures the deep anxieties surrounding this scientific frontier, tapping into universal fears about progress unchecked and nature disturbed. While its tone is undeniably bleak and thoughtful, it is punctuated by a few genuinely scary moments that effectively rouse the viewer from its grim meditation. The movie stands as a timely and chilling cautionary tale, warning of the potential darkness lurking within scientific ambitions and the fragile nature of human relationships when in isolation and extremes.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert W. Monk
