Humane Director & Stars Break Down Darkly Comedic Social Thriller & Dysfunctional Families

A dysfunctional family is pushed to the brink in Humane. The horror-thriller is set in the near future, where the Earth’s resources have dwindled to extinction-level concerns, forcing countries to have to reduce their populations by 20%. With this came the creation of the Department of Citizen Strategy, a government-funded organization that is tasked with carrying out a euthanasia program to help with the overpopulation crisis.

Humane particularly focuses on the Yorks, a dysfunctional family of wealthy socialites whose children find their existence rocked when their father announces at a dinner that he and his wife have enlisted in the euthanasia program. When his plan goes awry, the rest of the family is tasked with choosing one of themselves to enlist. This results in a high-tension night of arguments, fighting, and drama as the Yorks come to realize how deep blood runs.

The darkly comedic social thriller hails from director Caitlin Cronenberg, the daughter of famed horror filmmaker David Cronenberg making her feature directorial debut with the project. Cronenberg has assembled an all-star cast for Humane, including Blackberry‘s Jay Baruchel, Schitt’s Creek‘s Emily Hampshire, Peter Gallagher, Enrico Colantoni, Sebastian Chacon, Alanna Bale, Sirena Gulamgaus and Uni Park. Deftly walking the line between a dysfunctional family comedy and a bloody horror-thriller, the movie is a timely and pulse-pounding affair.

In anticipation of the movie’s release, Screen Rant interviewed director Caitlin Cronenberg and stars Jay Baruchel and Emily Hampshire to discuss Humane, finding the unique rhythm of the movie’s various tones, how Baruchel and Hampshire’s longtime friendship benefited their sibling relationship in the movie, and Baruchel’s thoughts on the How to Train Your Dragon live-action reboot.

The “Originality” Of Humane‘s Concept Inspired Cronenberg To Make Her Feature Debut

Though coming from cinematic royalty and having her own background in the world of movies as a photographer, Cronenberg had yet to make the leap to feature-length filmmaking before Humane, having helmed the 2018 short The Endings and 2021’s The Death of David Cronenberg. With Michael Sparaga’s script, though, she finally found the perfect project to step into the director’s chair:

Caitlin Cronenberg: It was really the originality of the concept. For me, having read a lot of scripts that didn’t kind of grab me the way that this did, the closeness to the reality that we’re all living in as well, was pretty enticing. And then, it’s got a great sense of humor, I thought the dialogue was fantastic. I loved the characters and their relationships with each other.

It just felt like something that I wanted to spend more time with. And now, five years later, I’m very glad that I took the time to pick a good script and a good project, because I’m still happy to talk about it and excited to see it again. That’s, I think, the thing that makes it possible, when you have to keep revisiting something for so long, you want to still love it, and I do.

Baruchel & Hampshire’s Friendship Made Their Sibling Dynamic A Breeze

Despite playing a brother and sister literally at each other’s throats for the entire movie, Baruchel and Hampshire had a long friendship heading into Humane. With the movie presenting a fine tonal line for the stars to walk, they ultimately found that this prior bond helped them find both the rhythm of the story as well as their characters’ dynamic:

Emily Hampshire: I love this very specific tone, it is one of my favorite to watch, and to be in, and it doesn’t come around a lot. So, that dark comedy aspect of it, and especially getting to work with Jay — we’ve worked together a lot, and we’ve known each other forever. So, to get to play siblings was a huge thing to me, but yeah, this is a different one that has that kind of social thriller about it that I think makes it really interesting.

Jay Baruchel: Yeah, I like anything where the set feels like you’re playing cops and robbers in the backyard with your friends, and I mean that as a compliment. Because what that says is the director and everybody else, in sort of positions of power, have found a way to foster a spirit of inspiration and curiosity and imagination. So, that’s kind of what that set was. And in terms of finding that specific tone, I think you have to be prepared to have bowls of porridge that are too hot and too cold.

You’re gonna have to do stuff that’s way too kind of goofy and funny, you’re gonna have to do stuff that is way too earnest, and takes itself too seriously. And only in the edit will Caitlin figure out exactly what the ecosystem of the movie is looking for in that moment. It’s a fun chance to flex all sorts of muscles, and it keeps you kind of interested and connected.

You don’t even ever have a chance to get lost in your head, because you’re trying to find different colors for each scene that you’re doing. And you’re doing it at a very fast, Canadian-independent-film pace where we have to figure this all out the day that we get there.

Caitlin Cronenberg: And then we have 20 days. [Chuckles]

Jay Baruchel: [Laughs] Yeah, then have 20 days to do it. But that stuff’s a joy, it’s hard to get bored, it’s hard to get in your head on that kind of environment.

Caitlin Cronenberg: I think the other thing that was really cool about the way that the tone shifts is that you see all the characters showing up for dinner before they know what’s actually happened. So, you actually get to experience a tonal shift in all of the characters in real time. They’re going from like, “Ugh, Dad, blah,” and then it’s all of a sudden this shock to the system, and then this incredibly emotional sort of midpoint, and then chaos.

So, I was enjoying watching everybody tackling these different shifts, and then still bringing in pieces of humor, and pieces of earnestness to create a complete character, because they do feel like very real people having these experiences.

More than just their own prior friendship, Hampshire and Baruchel had their own shared pasts with Cronenberg herself, having worked together on a handful of projects, as well as being friends in general. The former actor even humorously recalled being somewhat nervous of how Cronenberg would fare in her directorial debut, but being thrilled after just one day of shooting:

Emily Hampshire: So fun. When Caitlin texted me and asked me to be in the movie, I said yes before I read the script. And then, I read the script, and it was amazing. My next text was to Jay, and I’m like, “You have to play Jared.” I have been wanting to play siblings with Jay for so long. And yeah, it’s the funnest, especially with somebody you’re so comfortable with. That is what I think siblings have. You can be the meanest, you can be all the things to the extreme, because you’ve regressed to when you were a kid. I’d do it forever with Jay.

Jay Baruchel: Same, man, if I could do every movie with Emily, I would. It’s just an absolute joy, and that much less to figure out, which means you have that much more space to actually learn. We’ve just been adding coats of paint to this relationship and this collaboration for decades, so an absolute honor every time.

Emily Hampshire: And what is fun about that, too, is going into something like this where we were both friends with Caitlin, and expected her to be a good director, but you never know. And I remember after that first day, Jay and I were in the van, and we both were like, “Thank god, she’s great!” [Laughs] Because it’s hard when it’s your friend, but just to have that person who you have your safety net with, and then to find out that Caitlin was amazing was really great.

Being cast to play a somewhat antagonistic character also led Hampshire, Cronenberg and Baruchel to discover a hilarious subreddit dedicated to the latter celebrating a particular kind of role he rarely plays:

Jay Baruchel: Oh, it’s just nice to finally get to be me. [Chuckles] No, it’s fun to just not have to worry about being good. You just get to kind of be direct, and selfish, and impatient, and follow every self-indulgent impulse that comes to you, it’s a treat. Also, I found him funny. As much as he was a f—head, he made me laugh. And he made me laugh at times when he was trying to be funny, but he made me laugh, also, just when he was being himself, and he was taking himself very seriously, and full of s–t. But yeah, it was just a real treat.

Emily Hampshire: But I’d like to direct you to a subreddit thread that Caitlin just told us about, which is, “Yay, Jay is playing an a—ole again”. There’s a whole group of people that like Jay as an a—ole. [Laughs]

Caitlin Cronenberg: It’s a whole genre. And they’re like, “Oh, he’s back playing an a—ole? I’m here for it.” So, this is something that presented itself as soon as the trailer came out, and it was so clear what this character was about.

The York Family House Is Meant To Be A Modern “Gothic Mansion” & Add Tension To The Story

With pretty much the entirety of the movie taking place over the course of one night in the York family home, the actual set was key to helping amplify the tension of the story. For Cronenberg, she recalled landing on the “Gothic mansion” the movie was filmed in as it “fit the bill perfectly“, while also recalling the unique way they lit many of the scenes to subtly hint at the changing tone of Humane:

Caitlin Cronenberg: So, our location really needed to be somewhere that could feel like these kids grew up there, but also that it’s a bit grand, and over-the-top in a lot of ways. So, this Gothic mansion fit the bill perfectly. We re-outfitted the kitchen, because Charles’ wife, Dawn, is a chef, so we had to make it feel like it’s a chef’s kitchen. So, you want to make sure that those aspects are in there as well. But ultimately, it was a matter of having the light tell a lot of the story.

And Doug, who was the DP on this film, he and I had weeks of conversation leading up to the start of production about what the different sections of the film would look like. The daytime exterior was going to be this crazy tone of sun, but the interior had this eeriness of the sun outside is dangerous, so how do we balance the sun coming in, and then the film on the windows that acts as both a barrier to the sun, but also gives the interior a bit of a different mood?

And then, the second half of the film is darkness. Some scenes were lit just by phones, that was something that was a lot of fun to experiment with. But, I hope that the audience feels the look and the tone telling the story, without it being too obvious. That was the intention anyway. [Chuckles]

Baruchel Is “Psyched” For The How To Train Your Dragon Live-Action Reboot

Among his various acclaimed roles, one of Baruchel’s most popular is Hiccup in the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy. With a new incarnation of the books being adapted with a live-action reboot now starring Mason Thames as Hiccup, Baruchel couldn’t be more “psyched” for returning writer/director Dean DeBlois, who regularly sends the star “pictures of the crazy set” and feeling the filmmaker “hasn’t made enough s–t yet“. As for advice to his successors, Baruchel just invites them to enjoy the ride and carry the legacy of the franchise on:

Jay Baruchel: Oh, boy. Well, my friend Dean wrote and is directing that movie, and I’m just proud of and psyched for him. He’s been sending me cell phone pictures of the crazy set they built in Ireland. I’m just thrilled because he’s got big ideas, and he hasn’t made enough s–t yet. So, I’m really proud that Dean gets to do his thing.

It’s crazy, because I don’t feel part of a different generation — well, that’s not true, I do all the time. But, I guess, all the kids that were kids when the first one came out are grown-up now, which is f—ed. [Chuckles] So, there’s a whole bunch of little kids behind them who need their thing, and I hope maybe they find it here. I know that those kids hopefully have a good adventure in store for them.

And for any of the people getting to ride on Toothless, just respect the dragon, and he’ll respect you, and just enjoy it, because it’s not every day that you get to be part of something that people give a s–t about across the world, and will take with them their entire lives. That’s a pretty profound, special thing, so yeah, just have a blast.

About Humane

HUMANE takes place over a single day, mere months after a global ecological collapse has forced world leaders to take extreme measures to reduce the earth’s population. In a wealthy enclave, a recently retired newsman has invited his grown children to dinner to announce his intentions to enlist in the nation’s new euthanasia program. But when the father’s plan goes horribly awry, tensions flare and chaos erupts among his children.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Humane

HUMANE takes place over a single day, mere months after a global ecological collapse has forced world leaders to take extreme measures to reduce the earth’s population. In a wealthy enclave, a recently retired newsman has invited his grown children to dinner to announce his intentions to enlist in the nation’s new euthanasia program. But when the father’s plan goes horribly awry, tensions flare and chaos erupts among his children.

Director

Caitlin Cronenberg

Release Date

April 26, 2024

Studio(s)

Victory Man Productions , Téléfilm Canada , Ontario Creates

Distributor(s)

IFC Films

Writers

Michael Sparaga

Cast

Jay Baruchel , Emily Hampshire , Peter Gallagher , Enrico Colantoni , Sebastian Chacon

Runtime

93 Minutes