![]() ![]() Dren, the daughter, has become competition for Elsa, the mother, and temptation for Clive, the father. ![]() What was once a cute and easily controlled child has become an individual with a mind and will of her own. The whole process becomes even more psychologically complicated when the source of the human DNA is revealed.Īs Dren develops into a beautiful mythological-like creature that has fish gills and can sprouts wings, trouble arises in happy-family land. Metaphorically, it takes on the job of surrogate mother for the developing egg, a job Elsa doesn’t want literally. The gigantic birth chamber in which Dren was conceived is analogous to Elsa’s womb. Splice operates like an extended metaphor for Freudian family dynamics, specifically, the drama of mother/daughter competition, and father/daughter incest. There, the three of them settle down to play happy family. When Dren’s rapid development makes it impossible to keep her concealed at the lab, Elsa and Clive move her to Elsa’s old family farm in the woods. Ironically, with Dren Elsa eagerly embraces the part of mother, a role she previously claimed she didn’t want. Clive and Elsa go from objective scientists to doting parents. The couple proceeds in secret with their experiment, and their efforts produce “Dren” (nerd spelled backwards), a creature that resembles a cross between a seal and a chicken. Her determination suggests hidden disturbances are driving her that even she may be unconscious of. Clive is reluctant, but Elsa refuses to be stopped. She thinks they have more pressing concerns - namely, creating a new hybrid by introducing human DNA into the mix - financial, ethical and legal prohibitions notwithstanding. On the personal side, Clive thinks it’s time he and Elsa become parents. However, the pharmaceutical big wig paying the bills (Joan Chorot) is less interested in funding more research and development than she is in making the couples’ discovery turn a profit, so the company cuts off their funding to go forward with production. The story does cast a spell over you unfortunately, you won’t remain enchanted for very long.įresh from their success in creating a new hybrid organism from the splicing of the DNA of various animals, biochemists Clive Nicoli (Adrien Brody) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley) are eager to continue their groundbreaking experiments. Instead of presenting a thought-provoking, cautionary tale about the evils of meddling in God’s territory, Natalie opts for a singular approach that moves the story away from science fiction and into the realm of a dark and disturbing fairytale. Vincenzo Natali’s film Splice takes us into the world of genetic engineering but not in the manner one might expect of your typical science fiction feature. Their work has given the world genetically altered vegetables “designer” hypoallergenic cats and dogs super cows and most famously, the world’s first cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep Instead of stitching together body parts, today’s scientists directly manipulate the DNA of organisms. Frankenstein author Mary Shelley could not have foretold that her gothic tale of an errant scientist who creates a man/monster out of the limbs of dead bodies would become a harbinger of things to come with the emergence in the 21st century of the science of genetic engineering. ![]()
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