The Infinite Husk is a sci-fi thriller which caught my attention immediately. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for sci-fi. The story itself is a beautiful one. Our bodies are failing and dying shells, husks. But our minds can continue either trapped inside these dying husks or move on to another. Beautiful, I say? Trust me.
This idea is further explored by director and writer Aaron Silverstein after unfortunately witnessing a terminally ill relative pass away from cancer. What happens after our own bodies fail us but our minds remain intact? In The Infinite Husk, we see an exiled alien consciousness take over a young Black woman, Vel, who would otherwise be deceased. Her job on Earth is to spy on another exiled of her kind and hopefully earn her way back to her home planet. That’s such a heavy task but desperation will sometimes make you do anything.
Mauro, the exiled which Vel is to spy on, has spent his time on Earth continuing the research that got him exiled from his planet. He does so even at the risk of being watched by those from back home. When Vel and Mauro finally meet she only lets on that she was exiled just as he was. Because of course she’s not going to let on she’s spying on him.
Vel’s Mission
She’s brought in by Mauro and even begins to help with his research. As she learns more about what he’s doing, her missions from home continue to increase, and her desperation to go home does as well. What is she willing to do to go home? What is she willing to do even when she herself finds his research beneficial?
In The Infinite Husk we also see Vel going through her own experiences of not just being an exiled, but also those of being a young Black woman on Earth. I mean, do I really need to go into detail here of what all that entails? The movie does let on that perhaps there was some preparation to come to Earth. We get the idea that she was prepared to be a human. She doesn’t appear prepared to experience life as a Black woman.
State of Confusion
Where I think The Infinite Husk misses it for me, though, is there is a slight deviation from the main point of research for me. We hear consistently throughout the movie what Mauros’s research is all about yet we are also seeing something slightly different pan out. That left me slightly confused. At the same time, that could be just a me problem. I’m all for admitting it’s on me.
It’s hard sharing more about how much I enjoyed this movie without giving away some key points. I will say that The Infinite Husk left me feeling both empty and hopeful at the same time. It’s a feeling I walk away with often when I see a really good existential sci-fi movie. I enjoy this feeling. A movie that leaves me thinking about my place in the universe should keep me doing so long after the movie is done. The Infinite Husk has done that for me. It’s a good feeling to walk away with.
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