High Life: Claire Denis' sci-fi freakout starring Robert Pattinson

Fans of French auteur Claire Denis' deeply weird and thematically complex sci-fi movies, or Robert Pattinson, ought to be intrigued. High Life, Denis’ first English-language feature, has dropped its first trailer, and out of the gate it already looks like one of the most bizarre, disturbing and intriguing releases of the year.

The film follows a group of criminals sent on a mission beyond the solar system, travelling toward the edge of a black hole in search of alternative energy. Pattinson, who apparently hounded Denis for the role, plays one of the criminals, Monte, who becomes a part of the machinations of the ship’s fascinating doctor (Juliette Binoche) who is fanatically committed to experimentation with human sexuality in the environment of space.

Along the way there are babies, cosmic rays, existential dread and everything in-between. Zadie Smith even joined her husband Nick Laird on the script’s early drafts, but both dropped out after creative differences with Claire Denis. From the trailer, it certainly looks like something that’s not quite been seen before. The film also stars Andre Gregory (you might know him better as rap giant Andre 3000 from Outkast) and Mia Goth as Pattinson’s fellow prisoners.

High Life looks like a sci-fi movie with what could only be described as a unique concept and a tiny budget of €8 million – Denis said that if it had been a story involving green screens and zero-gravity high-jinks she would never have made it. If you like your science fiction to be dark, gritty and centred around personal themes, it seems like Claire Denis has made just the film for you. Check out the trailer below.