Errors of the Human Body
Errors of the Human Body
| 23 September 2012 (USA)
Errors of the Human Body Trailers

Canadian scientist, Dr Geoff Burton takes up a position at a new institute in wintry Dresden in order to contribute to their most important project—a human regeneration gene—that also has the potential to make something miraculous out of a personal tragedy that has haunted him for years.

Reviews
LouHomey From my favorite movies..
SincereFinest disgusting, overrated, pointless
Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Michael Ledo Geoff (Michael Eklund) is an American genetic doctor involved in prenatal testing. He is invited to work in Germany, which he accepts. Here we meet Rebekkah (Karoline Herfurth) who worked as an intern for him, a relationship we immediately can tell was not just professional. We also meet Jarek (Tómas Lemarquis) another scientist who Geoff doesn't like for no particular reason.The story starts out very simply and then cleverly builds layers while slowly revealing the past and its relevance to current times. I liked the plot construction and its integrate weaving of the past into an ironic ending. The main problem of this tale is that the characters are boring. They lack pizazz. The whole story is humorless, unless you consider the background score as the sound cells make when they divide. The dryness of the story overwhelms the clever plot weave.Parental Guide: f-bombs, brief sex, brief nudity (Caroline Gerdolle)
in1984 5.1 of 10. The first 2/3 of this film are technically magnificent, then it seems to acquire the same tumor/virus this modern industrial sci-fi film centers upon.There are defects early on that hint at the writer/director failing to understand the subject and not knowing where he's going. Characters have flaws, defects, and strengths that simply don't fit. The acting, setting, filming, and atmosphere, however, make up for it. The story, minus the little defects, is also well told and creates immersion and suspense. Then, maybe in some attempt to become more of an action/suspense film, it becomes nearly a constant cliché and nonsensical for the last third.The filmmaker has talent as a director, but really needs help as a writer after the initial idea and plot development.
darkness_visible I honestly cannot understand why this movie is currently rating so low at IMDb. In my opinion it is one of the most intriguing and original thrillers I have seen in many years. In some ways it is quite unique in that while at first it seems like a Cronenbergian body horror film, it turns out to be a "horror of the emotions" in which good intentions certainly do lead the well-meaning characters to their own especially cruel versions of hell.Michael Eklund and Karoline Herfurth were absolutely terrific, diving into their roles with 100% commitment. And Rik Mayall was a revelation in the first serious role I've seen him play.To me this is an amazing feature debut for writer/director Eron Sheean, most definitely a talent to be watched.I hope people can overlook the low rating and give this film a chance because I feel it certainly deserves the attention of discerning cinephiles.
Ordinary Review It was after watching The Call (2013) that I decided to browse through Michael Eklund's filmography hoping to find other portrayals of deranged characters. Errors of the Human Body is a title that immediately hooked me and I wanted to know more. The poster looked marvelous and it seemed to have won some awards and nominations so I decided to see it. Doctor Geoff Burton was once renowned and a beacon of hope to the medical field, but a rare genetic condition that led to his son's death ruined him.On the verge of being fired he accepts a job offer in Germany. The transfer was supported by a young female doctor who was once Burton's intern and with whom he had a liaison. Once he arrives, he discovers what Rebekka is working on: a way to have cells regenerated extremely fast. However, the processes which work in amphibians seems bound to failure when tested in mammal embryos. This is until Jarek, Rebekka's previous partner on the project, tries it illegally on a mouse. Geoff, who was following the scene, steals the mouse in either desperate scientific interest or a desire to protect Rebekka's project. From there on, Geoff's mental health begins to deteriorate as he enters a conflict with Jarek and is plagued by his past. I was quite pleased with what strikes first in the movie: the constant ambient low tune of disturbing music and the quality of the medical environment which was not portrayed in the typical scientific way, but was filmed in a way that made it beautiful. The story is quite simple overall but the flashback of the past along with the deterioration of everything around Geoff makes the movie really smooth. Geoff Burton's character reminded me in many ways of the protagonist in The Machinist (2004). Eklund really shines in this deranged guilt-ridden persona, although he might now be typecast as the new crazy actor (that'll give Michael Shannon a break). The scene at the party with loud electronic music, bright neon colors and costumes is really a pleasure to see. In the background, a great deal of moral issues are dealt with, but the first plane is always about Geoff. The film depicts a bare, rough and industrial vision of Germany which seemed to be in perfect harmony with the isolation of the main character. I couldn't help but wish there was more that was done with the tools we were shown. In the end it felt like a really lonely and caustic movie. At least it managed what Splice (2009) didn't; to make research in medicine look good. I wish there was more and maybe this is where the movie feels a little short in its unfolding. I think I felt really similar after watching Antiviral (2012) where I loved the world I was thrown in and it was visually astounding, but the story left me wanting for more. I liked: Constant background noises and music. Geoff and Eklund's acting. Exploration and depiction of guilt. I disliked: There was more to do, more to say. Some scenes seemed unrealistic--for example, a chase scene with a mouse is far stretched-- the protagonist was after all a top notch scientist. 72/100 I'm really going to look forward to future movies by Eron Sheean. I like his directorial work. I would recommend this to those who enjoyed Antiviral (2012) and also maybe Upstream Color (2013).