Humane

Directed by Caitlin Cronenberg, Humane, which unfolds in a world where governments have mandated voluntary (and conscripted) euthanasia due to an environmental crisis, follows Peter Gallagher’s Charles as he invites his children, including Jay Baruchel’s Jared and Emily Hampshire’s Rachel, to his palatial estate for a life-changing announcement. It’s an intriguing premise that is, at the outset, employed to agreeable, engrossing effect, as Cronenberg, armed with a script by Michael Sparaga, offers up a briskly-paced first half that boasts plenty of twists and several spellbinding sequences – with the latter especially true of a terrific sequence wherein Charles finally explains the reason for the family get-together. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that Cronenberg has elicited strong work from her eclectic roster of performers, with Enrico Colantoni’s memorable turn as an oddball government agent certainly standing as an ongoing highlight within the proceedings.) There’s little doubt, then, that Humane‘s overall impact is adversely affected by a wheel-spinning midsection and final third emphasizing the characters’ less-than-enthralling cat-and-mouse exploits, with the progressively underwhelming atmosphere paving the way for a climax that’s not quite as compelling as one might’ve anticipated – which does, in the final analysis, confirm the picture’s place as a watchable endeavor that’s at its best during its quieter, more dialogue-forward moments.

**1/2 out of ****