IFC Midnight Picks Up Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Antiviral’

Like father, like son. At least that's the word out of this year's Cannes film festival, where Brandon Cronenberg (son of David Cronenberg) premiered his new film 'Antiviral.' You can see the film sooner rather than later as IFC Midnight has just acquired the distribution rights.

According to Variety, IFC Midnight has acquired the rights to distribute the film, which means we'll probably see a VOD release in conjunction with a limited theatrical run sometime this year.

'Antiviral' is the story of a man (Caleb Landry Jones) who works at a clinic that specializes in procuring viruses from celebrities and selling them to obsessive fans who just want to be as close to their idols as possible -- even if that means having the same illnesses. Yes, even STDs.

Sounds like the sort of mind-bending body horror David Cronenberg put out in the 80s, and while we should definitely judge the younger Brandon on his own merits, the influence is hard to deny. Metaphorically speaking, the content of the film from the plot description alone sounds a bit on-the-nose, but the idea of darkly exploring the cult of celebrity worship with the perhaps not-so-hypothetical of a not-too-distant future sounds thrilling. And, obviously, kind of gross.

Check out a clip from the film below -- it doesn't show much, but it definitely gives you a sense of the atmosphere and tone. 'Antiviral' co-stars Malcom McDowell and Sarah Gadon.