[Film Review] Mosquito State (2020)

In the tradition of providing social commentary through horror cinema, director Filip Jan Rymsza tackles Wall Street and the U.S. financial crisis of 2008 through body horror and aural assault in the upcoming Shudder release Mosquito State. 

Data analyst Richard Boca (Beau Knapp, Death Wish) experiences a mental breakdown after finding erratic patterns in his financial computer model that threaten his high-ranking position within the company he works for. At the same time, his penthouse apartment is overwhelmed by mosquitos through the breeding and feeding that Richard ultimately encourages by constant humidification and allowing the pests to feed on his flesh. 

While the thematic connection between the failing stock market and mosquito infestation may seem unrelated at a surface level, they rely heavily on one another to push this plodding story forward. As Richard loses control of his computer program at work, he finds a sense of belonging and purpose through the cultivation of the mosquito larvae and eventual hive at home. He comes to believe that society’s incessant need for fortune and the amassing of things has caused a break in the sense of community and togetherness, two things that have eluded Richard because of his severe antisocial behavior.

Knapp takes an odd approach with his portrayal of Richard. He shuffles at a slow pace, holding his hands in an almost praying mantis-like curl, with eyes that dart erratically and a manner of speaking that is nearly impossible to decipher. The viewer is thrust into Richard’s world through Lena (Charlotte Vega, Wrong Turn) who follows him home from a party in a scene that feels broken and disassociated. Lena serves as a sort of proctor, observing his strange life, the sparseness of his apartment, the cellar in which he keeps hundreds of bottles of expensive wine that he has never touched. The two barely speak, and it’s so difficult to believe that Lena would be interested in Richard that it is easy to write the character off as a figment of Richard’s imagination, someone he is compelled to fall in love with at first sight but who would never give him a second glance. 

As Richard loses control of his professional life, arriving at work with massive swelling on his face and body due to his interaction with the mosquitos, he begins to suspect those around him of sabotage and betrayal. His already tenuous relationships at work unravel, and he becomes more interested in the patterns his mosquitos are making than the patterns of the deteriorating financial system. 

Despite Mosquito State’s impressive cinematography and riveting score, the film suffers from a very clear case of style over substance. The boundaries of body horror are not pushed far enough, while the allegorical message hums throughout the narrative as irritating and overplayed as the endless buzz of Richard’s rogue skeeters. It feels like Rymsza is attempting to do for the ’08 financial crisis what American Psycho did for the ‘greed is good’ mentality of the 80s, but it was not able to rise above its own inflated view of itself.

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