While Robert Pattinson may have become a household name thanks to The Twilight Saga films and superhero fans may be eagerly awaiting his return as the titular superhero in The Batman Part II, the actor has also made a mark for his work in a diverse range of films, including those in the sci-fi genre. He was one of the stars of Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller Tenet and most recently stared in Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17. But there’s one sci-fi film on Pattinson’s filmography that most have forgotten he even made despite it being a masterpiece and it’s now available to stream for free.
Released in 2018, High Life has gone largely overlooked among movie fans. Directed and co-written by Claire Denis, the film stars Pattinson and Juliette Binoche along with Andre Benjamin, Mia Goth and more. The film performed poorly at the box office, but was a hit with critics, earning an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes where it was praised for its complexity. Now, those who missed seeing it in theaters can stream it for free this month on Tubi.
High Life Is a Strange, Surreal Sci-Fi Masterpieces More About Its Characters Than Big Action
In High Life, a group of criminals serving out death sentences are sent into space on a mission to extract alternative energy from a black hole. However, while they are sent on a mission, they are also the subject of various scientific experiments carried out by a scientist named Dibs (Binoche) who is trying to create a child in space through artificial insemination. Pattinson plays Monte, who despite his best efforts to be good, ends up left with the unexpected responsibility of not only being the sole survivor of the mission, but also having to unexpectedly raise a child in space.
There are certainly some strange elements to High Life, but the beautify of the film is that it focuses in on the more intimate elements of a space story. The film approaches the emotions that the inmates on the mission are dealing with knowing that they are largely disposable as well as the fact that this mission is one they may not return from. The film also tackles the loneliness of space and just how easy it is for one to lose their mind or worse in such an environment. Pattinson also turns in one of his finest performances as someone trying to genuinely be good, but who gets put in an unthinkable position. There’s something raw and also elegant about his portrayal of a man not only trying to raise a child alone, but in perhaps the most alone version of isolation one can imagine. There’s nothing especially feel-good about this film, but it is beautifully done and will make you think very deeply — something that good sci-fi should always aim to do.
High Life is available to stream for free on Tubi this April.
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