Humane – Movie Review (3/5)

HUMANE is a new thriller set in a dystopian world, where family members end up fighting for their lives – against one another. Shot mostly in one location and with a solid concept. Read our full Humane movie review here!

HUMANE is a new dystopian family thriller that plays out over just one single day. Also, most of it takes place in the same location. The runtime is 93 minutes and the concept is fascinating. A solid plot that works well thanks to the cast. It’s in theaters now and will be on Shudder in June 2024.

For me, it lacks just a bit more of an edge or some more surprises along the way. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it seems like a few opportunities to tweak it just a bit more were missed. However, this takes nothing away from the fact that it’s a fascinating and very entertaining watch!

Continue reading our Humane movie review below. Find it in select theaters on April 26, 2024. Also, it will be on Shudder from June 26, 2024.

How to reduce the population in a humane way

In Humane, which takes place in one single afternoon, but based on events that have happened over decades, a family is forced to deal with an ecological collapse. Basically, we need to reduce Earth’s population now, so the question becomes; How can we do that as a society in a humane way?

Hot tip: You need to pay attention to everything being said in the background during the opening credits!

Of course, there isn’t anything humane about having to eliminate a large percentage of the population. And yet, money can help, so a new euthanasia program has been made. Basically, you can volunteer to be “put down!

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Your family will be by your side as you say goodbye to them and they will also get a pretty penny for your sacrifice. Clearly, this scheme leads to mostly poor people and immigrants signing up, as they can then help their children and grandchildren to a better life.

That’s why it’s such a shock when a recently retired newsman – who has plenty of wealth to last a few lifetimes – invites his four grown children to dinner to announce that he has enlisted for the euthanasia program.

Of course, nothing is as simple as described in the commercials constantly playing on TV to enlist volunteers. So, when the father’s plan goes wrong, full-blown chaos erupts among the four siblings, and they end up fighting each other to survive.

A horror-comedy take on an ecological thriller

The storyline in Humane plays out just months after a global ecological collapse. This led world leaders to agree on some rather extreme measures to reduce the earth’s population. After all, it is us humans who have completely wrecked the planet, so reducing our impact is a logical solution.

Obviously, and this is a core point from several characters, acting sooner could’ve meant it never got this far. However, not wanting to miss out on any kind of luxury, the world stood by until Mother Nature forced the hand of humans.

I know the main phrase used for Humane is “dystopian family thriller” and it most definitely is just that. However, the core premise for the dystopian plot is an ecological disaster and the family members are quite quirky (and brutal) which makes for many horror-comedy moments.

Also, there are quite a few brutal details mentioned in passing. Like how anyone Asian is blamed for the ecological collapse because it started in these nations.

Completely ignoring that it was also the demands of the West that led to gross overproduction in these nations. And yet, anyone Asian now lives in fear of being attacked. A nice little “nod” to the recent repercussions for all Asians during the pandemic.

Watch Humane in theaters now and on Shudder later

Caitlin Cronenberg is the director of Humane and I do like her style. As a director, she has done two short films before this feature film debut. However, as a Cronenberg (daughter of David, sister of Brandon), she has been in the movie-making business for many years.

The screenplay comes from Michael Sparaga, and I am a big fan of this concept, so I have to give him credit for that. Also, the reason Humane works as well as it does is thanks to the cast.

From dad, Charles York, portrayed by the always charming Peter Gallagher, to the four York children. They are portrayed by Jay Baruchel (FUBAR), Emily Hampshire (Appendage), Sebastian Chacon (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), and Alanna Bale (The Horror of Dolores Roach).

Also, there’s a granddaughter and stepmom portrayed by Sirena Gulamgaus and Uni Park respectively. Finally, the people responsible for “helping” the euthanasia volunteers. They are led by Enrico Colantoni as Bob with Martin Roach as his assistant Tony.

As a whole Humane works really well as a dystopian genre-hybrid. Especially the elegant world-building is fascinating to me. In fact, I would love to get a sequel that looks at the world rather than just this one family. I understand why the family was the focus of this movie, but now I want more!

Humane is in Select Theaters from April 26, and on Shudder from June 26, 2024.

Details

Director: Caitlin Cronenberg
Writer: Michael Sparaga
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Peter Gallagher, Enrico Colantoni, Sebastian Chacon, Alanna Bale, Sirena Gulamgaus, Uni Park