This week, IFC Midnight debuts Evolution, the new film from French filmmaker Lucile Hadzihalilovic. It’s been 12 years since Hadzihalilovic’s last film, Innocence, debuted in the U.S., and for fans of that film, Evolution’s poetic take on body horror is worth the wait. Set on an isolated island populated exclusively by women and young boys, the film evokes the fears that come when our bodies start to change during puberty in a symbolically rich fable that should also appeal to fans of slow-burn sci-fi like 2014’s Under The Skin.
The A.V. Club’s A.A. Dowd saw Evolution at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where he said, “‘Beguiling’ feels like a weird word for something so frequently gross and eerie, but Hadzihalilovic casts a singular dreamlike spell, her thin storyline evoking a cluster of childhood fears, preoccupations, and desires.” Now, we’re debuting an exclusive clip from the film, depicting a pivotal scene where our young protagonist is admitted to a hospital, and receives a mysterious injection that his mother says will “cure” him. Of what? Well, you’ll have to watch the movie for that.
Evolution opens in theaters in select cities and on demand on Friday, November 25, courtesy of IFC Midnight.