Breeder is a 2020 Danish science fiction horror film about an experiment in biohacking that traps a young couple in a dangerous, deadly situation. In nightmarish ways, the experiment questions basic human behaviour by asking: How far will we go to stay young forever?”
Directed by Jens Dahl (3 Things; writer of Pusher) from a screenplay by Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen, the Beo Starling production stars Sara Hjort Ditlevsen (Borgman; Excuse Me), Anders Heinrichsen, Signe Egholm Olsen and Morten Holst.
Director Dahl explained to Deadline: “Some years ago I developed an interest in bio-hacking and life extension. In doing so, I encountered a dilemma: if we live longer, we will also maintain our power and privilege wonder… this dilemma is what sparked the idea for Breeder.”
Furthermore, Dahl told ScreenDaily: ”Breeder is a modern take on survival horror. It is an alternative love story set in a facility where humans are treated like animals for the sake of someone else’s longevity. We are going to explore the darker sides of biohacking to address the disenfranchisement so many – especially young people – feel today.”
Reviews:
“Breeder isn’t an easy film to watch. It’s very well made and despite a few minor quibbles, the story is strong (and horrifying). By the time you get to the end credits, you’ll feel emotionally fraught and I’m not sure I’ll ever choose to watch Breeder again; not because it’s not a good film but because it was so gruelling to get through.” Entertainment Focus
“The nuanced screenplay provides no easy answers, but avoids exploitation or sensationalisation, Unlike its peers, the film shows a keen sense of self-awareness, calling lead torturer The Dog (a chilling Morten Holst) out for his misogyny, while highlighting the hypocrisy of his overlords. At a time when humanity barely even tries to hide its craven greed and cruelty, Breeder feels terrifyingly plausible, its villains horribly relevant.” Horror DNA
” …Holst is a supremely hateful villain – but the whole set-up is too grimy, depressing and protracted (it’s 107 minutes long) to be worth most audiences’ while.” The Kim Newman Web Site
” …the violence, gore and overall nasty nature of the film really making for uncomfortable viewing; and it’s not often any film makes me uncomfortable these days! Thankfully the misogyny is offset by the sheer will of the women trapped in Doctor Ruben’s terrifying laboratory-come-torture-den. There’s a superb sense of comeuppance as the women who’ve been subjected to all sorts of horror at the hands of Doctor Ruben and The Dog get their vengeance.” Nerdly
“Like Martyrs, before it, Breeder has a stylish swagger that dares you to question its artistic integrity, with superb acting and crisply dynamic cinematography. Considering the overtly grim subject matter it retains a glossy sheen that disturbs further in the context of its full send mega violence […] Savage, scathing and endlessly inventive in its relentless provocation it drags the women in chains picture to a new level of subversive neurosis.” The People’s Movies
“Dahl’s film is a survival thriller of Sadean entrapment and maenadic revenge. Like Melanie Light’s short film The Herd (2014) and Baptiste Rouveure’s recent feature Anonymous Animals (Les Animaux Anonymes, 2020), Breeder uses the imagery of animal husbandry to expose the place of the marginalised, and of women, in a patriarchal food chain whose benefits are exclusively reaped by the men at the top.” Projected Figures
“Breeder uses the horror elements of the torture subgenre of horror, seeing the sadistic pleasure The Dog and The Swine characters get from what they are doing to the women they capture while using the effects to show the horrific actions they inflict on their victims. Nothing seems to be off-limits in how extreme of the brutality this movie will be willing to go too.” Ready Steady Cut!
Release:
In North America, Level 4 and Uncork’d Entertainment will release Breeder on January 11th 2022.
Trailer:
