Infinity Baby

The ending is worth the wait. But, you must endure a bleak depiction of the 21st century dating scene, and a story line that questions the motives of those who have kids for the wrong reasons. A good question, just a little awkwardly put forth. While the movie is a 7, the ending is a 9.

Recently screened at the 60th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival, Bob Byington's "Infinity Baby" has all the hallmarks of modern independent film – a quirky concept masking a comment on the modern human condition, crisp (black and white) cinematography, a soundtrack by some hip musician and a cast of indie stalwarts. Combined they make for a film that, at 71 minutes, actually makes you wish it had fleshed out its ideas a bit more.

Set in the not-so-distant future, screenwriter Onur Tukel's quirky concept at play is that through a stem-cell research project gone bad, there are now about a thousand babies running around being "marketed" by a company (Infinity Baby) that never age and can be fed and be expected to poop just once a week. They never grow up. A ha! The same can be said for the film's protagonist Ben, an employee of the company and commitment-phobic guy who dates women just long enough to have his mother disapprove of them and then move on. A side plot involves two other employees of the company looking to make a quick buck by keeping one of the babies for a while, but things fall apart pretty quickly.

The film is on "hold review" so a full critique will have to wait, but there's much to like about this film, beginning with the cast – Kieran Culkin as the man-child, Megan Mullally as his mother, Nick Offerman as the company boss (they're both Executive Producers on the film,) as well as Martin Starr, Kevin Corrigan and Stephen Root.

The film looks good with cinematography by Matthias Grunsky and some retro-editing by Kris Boustedt. The film sounds good with a soundtrack by Aesop Rock. Director Bob Byington has indicated in some interviews that it might be re-edited, so perhaps its interesting premise will be expanded on in future screenings and before its eventual release.

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This movie does a great job at balancing absurdist comedy with thought-provoking social commentary. The subject matter explores a near-future society that parodies many highly criticized aspects of our modern world: laziness, mindless subscription, shallowness, etc. However, you won't get bogged down in pressing social messages, it's just really funny. The world is heightened by intriguing cinematography taken from locations in Austin, TX. Great performances from everyone on board, especially Megan Mullally who really shines here. Nick Offerman is hilarious as well, as always.

Perhaps I saw a re-edited film. I saw this on April 4 at the WI film festival. The film was funny (and coherent). It was running short at only 70 mins and Bob Byington said he was planning on re-editing it for another showing in San Francisco. I really enjoyed the film. Lots of strong performances by well known actresses / actors. I recommend this film.

While not exactly a masterpiece, "Infinity Baby" takes on a social issue that many are too self-conscious to examine for themselves -- when does not caring stop being cool?

Babies that don't age is a funny premise that initially drew me to this film. It's funny and oddly disturbing, and so is "Infinity Baby." Without spoiling what is a slow burn (despite it's tiny 80 minute runtime), I can tell you that the film is absurd and hard to piece together for the first hour or so, and takes a swift and dark turn for its climax.

The characters are wonderfully scripted, and all are memorable (although some roles are much smaller than others). A stellar cast full of energetic actors delivers an overall incredible performance, all while preserving a sense of spontaneity that matches nicely with the film's black-and-white tone. Despite having a plot that seems to be on par with those of "Black Mirror," the film never loses awareness of its own quirk and is consistently funny (although in more of an Andy Kaufman way and less of a Kevin Hart way, if you get me).

Those who enjoy criticism of social issues, absurdism, and who appreciate a slow-burn should definitely check out this film. While not game-changing, it's an enjoyable and brief watch.