Having seen relatively few movies by David Cronenberg, and even longer since my last viewing of his work, it’s apparent how deliberate the symbolism is in this film. While the actors gave dedicated portrayals—Elias Koteas was especially unsettling—I didn't find myself connecting with the material. There isn’t a discernible narrative here, and when the credits rolled, I wasn’t left wanting to revisit it quickly. It’s …

It's to David Cronenberg’s credit—particularly during roughly the first quarter-century of his work as a filmmaker—that he consistently proved himself to be an inventive and exceptionally talented force within the realm of horror centered on the body. It's hard to imagine another person, anywhere in the world, who could have conceived of something like this: the merging of sexual gratification with violent car accide…