'False Positive' Review
R: Disturbing/bloody images, sexual content, graphic nudity, and language
Runtime: 1 Hr and 32 Minutes
Production Companies: A24
Distributor: Hulu
Director: John Lee
Writers: John Lee, Ilana Glazer
Cast: Ilana Glazer, Justin Theroux, Sophia Bush, Josh Hamilton, Pierce Brosnan
Release Date: June 25, 2021
Hulu
After months of trying and failing to get pregnant, Lucy (Ilana Glazer) and Adrian (Justin Theroux) finally find their dream fertility doctor in the illustrious Dr. Hindle (Pierce Brosnan). But after becoming pregnant with a healthy baby girl, Lucy begins to notice something sinister through Hindle’s gleaming charm, and she sets out to uncover the unsettling truth about him, and her own “birth story.” As if getting pregnant weren’t complicated enough…
The most positive thing that False Positive has going for it, if anything, is the psychedelically alluring cinematography by Pawel Pogorzelski. Pogorzelski had prior experience as DP of horror-based films like Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar; needless to say, he has the natural ability to match the dark, sinister tones and provide breathtaking shots that send a shiver down your spine. The dark undertones throughout Lucy's pregnancy are utterly chilling and the most effective moments involve dark lighting, whether it’s natural or not. Pogorzelski’s cinematography helps the film capture a creepy ‘70s horror-like aesthetic.
Because the film stars and was co-written by Ilana Glazer, you’d expect it to have a comedic backbone, but unfortunately, it barely does. That being said, for this being a leading feature vehicle for the “Yasss Queen” queen, she genuinely delivers a good performance. Though Lucy herself lacks dimension, for she’s essentially written as an ordinary woman who plays it safe in a male-dominated society, Glazer plays it straight all the way through (and very damn well, may I add). She’s not cracking jokes or anything, but simply portraying a woman who gets gaslighted by everyone around her, so when she becomes more reactionary as her pregnancy process goes awry, the more she showcases her range for genres outside of the comedy she’s known for.
As far as the other performances go, I had fun watching Pierce Brosnan play Lucy’s fertility doctor, Dr. Hindle, who is suspicious the moment he appears on screen despite his calming demeanor. Even though you’re aware of the sinister aura surrounding him, he brought this presence of security so well. He’s friggin’ Pierce Brosnan, he brings the charm even though he’s in a role where he has to be ominous.
John Lee’s False Positive is obviously meant to be a contemporary riff on Rosemary’s Baby. Its influences are transparent, from the blood-red aesthetic to the constant use of crossfades in its editing, and even down to Lucy’s husband being named Adrian, the name of the baby from the film. However, False Positive apparently doesn’t understand the definition of the word “riff”, for it doesn’t commit to a single angle in order to form an identity of its own. It spends so much time enacting this familiar tale, translating almost every element, including outdated cliches and tropes, for the 21st century in such a dull and straight-laced fashion. The film clocks in at barely 90 minutes, yet it’s so poorly paced, for there’s little to no substance to make it function in any facet. Though it features a few running gags and several cameos, like Josh Hamilton and Sophia Bush as comedic reliefs, it’s devoid of any laughs while lacking any genuine thrills or chills.
The screenplay is executed as a rough draft where they got the basis of a story together but forgot to add all the other required ingredients for a functioning narrative, such as character, wit, and adding any depth to its surface-level commentary about women’s fertility rights. While I adore Glazer’s commitment to her performance, Lucy is far too average and basic for one to root for. Given that she’s surrounded by men who have power over her, from her job at a marketing agency to her older husband and her doctor, you anticipate a descent into madness that never happens. Another area the film fails at is depicting the love between Lucy and Adrian, a married couple who has tried for years to have a baby the old-fashioned way, but you hardly get to see them as a loving married couple. Outside of sexual attraction, there’s no proof of their love as it’s all told through exposition about how desperate they’ve become to have a baby. Also, if you’re going to cast someone who is meant to be unexpectedly conspicuous opposite your lead, maybe don’t hire Justin Theroux? I love Theroux as an actor but this role makes the lack of subtlety to his character even worse. The age disparity between him and Glazer is vast enough to make the dominant factor of their relationship even more uncomfortable than intended. There’s a moment where Lucy is on an iPad and he comes in and goes, “Put that iPad away you Millennial” and that was the most disturbed I felt during the film. Why did you think casting Bo Burnham opposite Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman was so effective? They were of the same age and Burnham has a likable nice guy persona to grip you. On top of that, there’s no chemistry between Glazer and Theroux so it makes this supposed mysterious rift between them not even enticing enough to get you on board.
The story meanders through Lucy’s pregnancy as her world is slowly disorienting and she’s losing control of her own pregnancy, and as she seeks other avenues, the film gets worse. Instead of just pulling horror tropes from Rosemary’s Baby, it pulls from other horror films too. How many times have you seen the “African voodoo woman helps the white person with their horror problem” trope? Oh yeah, that tired ass trope is present but they spin it with Zainab Jah, who portrays a successful midwife who helps Lucy on her journey.
God, False Positive could’ve been a worthy contemporary update to Rosemary’s Baby if its screenplay was far more developed. As it stands, it’s a dull and lifeless horror film that fails to create an identity for itself or execute strong commentary on women’s fertility rights. Man, this hurts. Well, at least it's on Hulu rather than in theaters because this definitely would’ve received an F Cinemascore rating. But it’s A24 so it would’ve like… made money, too?
