Director Claire Denis (LET THE SUNSHINE IN, CHOCOLAT) made her English-language feature debut with the mysterious, wonderful sci-fi adventure HIGH LIFE. She also made her Angelika debut when she joined us for a Q&A to discuss the film, alongside its star Robert Pattinson (GOOD TIME, REMEMBER ME, TWILIGHT).

Pattinson was originally drawn to the film due to Denis herself as the director, and when he heard the film described, he was hooked. Denis describes film in itself as “like songs.. made to describe feelings, moments..” and that is how she comes to her work.

Though Denis doesn’t like to refer to HIGH LIFE as “science fiction,” she did meet an astro-physicist to help consult on the project and help explain the scientific concepts within it. Another concept that required some consultation was the design of the spaceship. Here, Denis describes that design process:

Pattinson describes, “one of the high points of [his] career,” as working with Andre 3000. In this clip, he describes his starstruck encounter:

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and see the full Q&A!

About the film:

Beyond the solar system in a future that seems like the present, a group of criminals accept a mission in space to become the subjects of a human reproduction experiment. They find themselves in the most unimaginable situation after a storm of cosmic rays hit the ship.

View the trailer:

Where to see it: 

HIGH LIFE is now playing at Angelika New York, and opens Friday 4/12 at Angelika Mosaic, and 4/19 at Angelika Plano and Angelika Carmel Mountain.