Maps to the Stars

David Cronenberg is known as a pioneer of the body horror genre; he is a director whose work is principally concerned with the human form in various states of decay, transformation and mutation. His is a cinema in which TV screens appear in people’s torsos (Videodrome), and scientists are transformed into half-human, half-insect hybrids (The Fly.) Always surreal and often grotesque, Cronenberg’s films also have serious points to make, about addiction, personal identity and the dangers of technology.  
Now, in his new film Maps to the Stars, Cronenberg brings his distinctive vision to bear on Hollywood, conjuring a world of neurotic, violent ambition. In creating this film, Cronenberg collaborated with Bruce Wagner, an author and screenwriter, best known for his novels I’m Losing You and Still Holding which share the film’s mordantly satirical vision of Hollywood culture. 
With Wagner’s help, Cronenberg has peopled his film with an assembly of would-bes and has-beens who wouldn't be out of place in one of David Lynch’s more recent works. There’s a washed-up movie star seeking to be cast in a remake of a film starring her dead mother (Julianne Moore), her physically and emotionally scarred personal assistant (Mia Wasikowska), and a limousine driver played by Robert Pattinson, who seems to be becoming one of Cronenberg's regulars, having starred already in last year's Cosmopolis. 
Having shown already at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the film has received considerable interest and acclaim. For decades, Cronenberg has been building a reputation as one of cinema’s most recognisable and innovative directors. With Maps to the Stars, he shows no signs of slowing down.