Errors of the Human Body (2012)

Waste of time

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

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)

This is not an epic or perfect movie. It isn't The Dark Knight or The Revenant. It is a sci-fi thriller, for the most part, I would say. It even has some goofy sci-fi parts that I could see would lower its rating. People will also complain because it is a German movie with a German actress. But I think that makes it even better. There are no big name actors that are world renowned, but the actors in this movies do a great job. Never once was I bored or not entertained, they actors told a great story the whole time. I even think the German actress made the movie even better by just being abnormal to what American audiences typically see; she made me think differently about what was going on. All the characters were unique and really made this movie what it is. The whole concept of the movie wasn't anything too mind blowing. But it did have a good plot twist or two. This movie isn't the quality of the mainstream mega movies, but it is a hidden gem that movie lovers, philosophers, and scientists alike will truly enjoy. This

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.

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).