Summary
-
Humane
is a darkly humorous thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world where a certain amount of people volunteer to die in order to save the world. - Directed by Caitlin Cronenberg, the film stars Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Peter Gallagher, and Alanna Bale.
- The script was praised by Cronenberg for its dystopian world, and the film will open in theaters on April 26th and stream on Shudder on July 26th.
The darkly humorous thrillerHumane had its trailer released today, showcasing the directorial debut of Caitlin Cronenberg, who wrapped the shoot in Hamilton, Ontario, near the end of 2022. The film stars Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, This Is the End), Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek, 12 Monkeys), Peter Gallagher (American Beauty, Grace and Frankie), and Alanna Bale (Sort Of and Cardinal) as members of a family who face a disturbing dilemma over the course of one day. Check out the trailer above and more information below.
“Humane takes place over a single day, mere months after a global ecological collapse has forced world leaders to take extreme measures to reduce the earth’s population. In a wealthy enclave, a recently retired newsman has invited his grown children to dinner to announce his intentions to enlist in the nation’s new euthanasia program. But when the father’s plan goes horribly awry, tensions flare and chaos erupts among his children.”
Caitlin Cronenberg comes from a family of Canadian artists, with her father often considered one of the greatest directors of all time. David Cronenberg’s films include The Fly, Videodrome, Naked Lunch, A History of Violence, The Dead Zone, and many others. Caitlin’s brother, Brandon Cronenberg, has become one of the most exciting young horror directors today thanks to his provocative films Possessor and Infinity Pool.
Humane is written and produced by Victory Man Productions’ Michael Sparaga, whose script was praised by Cronenberg (via Deadline):
From my very first read, the all-too-possible dystopian world of Michael’s script left me breathless, and I immediately knew I had to be the one to make this movie.
Cronenberg continued:
“Each and every day on set felt like a gift and I feel truly blessed to have worked with such remarkable talents, both in front of and behind the camera. I cannot wait to share this film with the world.”
Caitlin Cronenberg Shoots a Portrait of Our Dark Future
Previously, Caitlin Cronenberg has made music videos and shorts such as The Death of David Cronenberg, a short film that utilized a prosthetic corpse of her father from when he was on Slasher: Flesh and Blood, the fourth season of the anthology series. Though she’s mainly focused on photography and artwork; she has had her portrait photography published in Vogue Italia, Marie Claire, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Times, The Washington Post, W Magazine, and Variety. She shot the cover and album art for fellow Torontonian Drake’s four-time platinum, Grammy-nominated record, Views.
It was Cronenberg’s work as a visual artist that convinced Sparaga that she was perfect for Humane. He explained:
“Her keen eye to detail, her rich compositions, and her ability to convey deep emotion made her my first and only choice to direct
Humane
. That she said yes to making this film her feature directorial debut is nothing less than a dream come true.”
Caitlin Cronenberg isn’t the only crew member with a connection with the elder Cronenberg. Doug Koch, the Director of Photography on Crimes of the Future (2022), will also serve in the same position on Humane. After doing the same for Crimes of the Future and A History of Violence, Dierdre Bowen is the Casting Director. Brian Garvey, the Production Designer, was an art director of an episode of Slasher, though not during Cronenberg’s season.
Humane will open exclusively in theaters on Friday, April 26th and will stream on Shudder starting July 26th.
