Film

Review: Splice (2009)

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Directed by Vincenzo Natali Produced by Steven Hoban Screenplay by Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant, Doug Taylor Story by Vincenzo Natali and Antoinette Terry Bryant Starring Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chanac Music by Cyrille Aufort Cinematography Tetsuo Nagata Splice is a 2009 Canadian/French science fiction horror film. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientist couple who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal genes. While the film does look at the ethics of genetic manipulation it is also very focussed on the psychological inheritance from our parents. Splice received mixed reviews, perhaps because the hybrid characters were so unbelievable. The main character, Dren, had inherited all the best skills from each of her gene donors, including climbing, breathing in water, flying and weapons, leading to reviews such as A disappointingly clueless science movie that lacks curiosity in even the basic building blocks of a hybrid creatures DNA(Tim Robey, Telegraph, 2010) However the fact that it is so hard to believe could be seen as a positive thing because it makes the savage plot more palatable.


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Splice brings up a variety of pertinent points, looking at what separates humans from animals and the point at which a line can be drawn between the two. Human children (at least in the developed world) are entitled to education and medical treatment a right that Dren does not seem to have. However Dren doesnt have the protection usually given to animals either, and is held accountable for her outbursts.

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There has been a huge amount of research into attachment theories and conclusive evidence that children who were neglected in childhood are likely to grow into adults with attachment disorders. John Bowlby (1907 - 1990) was a psychoanalyst and believed that mental health and behavioural problems could be attributed to a lack of stable mothering in early childhood. He believed that the relationship between the infant and its mother during the first five years of life was most crucial to socialisation and that disruption of this primary relationship could lead to a higher incidence of delinquency, emotional difficulties, antisocial behaviour, reduced intelligence, increased aggression, depression, and affectionless psychopathy.

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In Dren's case there were numerous factors of neglect. A violent birth followed by maternal separation, a lack of attachment in her early months, and a complete lack of social and educational opportunities would have stunted her emotional growth. In his review for Film4,

Anton Bitel suggests that the film reflects the perversion that was in fact already an integral part of the characters' (especially Elsa's) monstrous make-up from the start (Bitel 2009) but this seems quite harsh when we discover that Elsa herself has had an extremely dysfunctional upbringing and has not learnt the skills needed for effective parenting. Macartney noted that when Dren shows signs of both neediness and rebellion, Elsa hardens back into the experimental scientist, echoing the cold treatment that her own mother meted out to her (Macartney 2010). She wants to love a child only on her own terms.

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Puberty is a difficult time for any parent, and the speed at which Dren goes through changes does not give anyone the chance to adjust. Teenagers who have had normal social interaction learn what morals are socially acceptable. Girls from healthy backgrounds learn to flirt by practising with safe men and boys. Dren has had no social interaction and has predatory sexual desires fuelled by hormones, and she has no way of making rational decisions. The film ends with Elsa completing a financial transaction with the boss of the company, thus showing that there are different ways to be monstrous. Bitel points out that the creature is utterly humanised, while the all-human characters are invested with some genuinely horrifying aberrations, so that we are never quite sure where to direct our sympathies or how to orient our moral judgements. However McCartney sees the situation with more pity, As this half-human entity experiences loneliness, yearns for love and becomes a seductress and killer, her creators mislay their own humanity in their confused behaviour towards the interesting, terrifying thing they have made. Illustrations
Fig 1 - Title Image - from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splice_%28film%29 [accessed on 10/10/11] Fig 2, 3, 4 from http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/47792522.html [accessed on 10/10/11] Fig 5 from http://cinema.theiapolis.com/movie-0CCQ/splice/message-board/splice-snags-a-summer-release- date-1001115.html [accessed on 10/10/11]

References
Bitel, Anton (2009) Review (Splice) for Film4 http://www.film4.com/reviews/2009/splice [accessed on 10/10/11] Bowlby, J (1953) Child Care and the Growth of Love. London: Penguin Books Bowlby, J.(1969) Attachment and Loss. New York: Basic Books Macartney, J (2010) Splice: Seven Magazine Review (for Telegraph) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7906635/Splice-review.html [accessed on 10/10/11] Robey, T (2010) Splice Review http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7906635/Splice- review.html [accessed on 10/10/11]