It stars Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Sebastian Chacon, Alanna Bale, Sirena Gulamgaus, Uni Park, Enrico Colantoni, and Peter Gallagher.
[4][5] Amid an environmental crisis that caused the world's governments to mandate voluntary as well as conscripted euthanasia as a means of population control, former news broadcaster Charles York summons his four adult children to dinner at his home with his second wife, celebrity chef Dawn Kim.
A bruised and battered Bob appears in a television commercial where government propaganda claims Ashley and Grace enlisted to be voluntarily euthanized.
[8] Humane was released day-and-date in Canada by Elevation Pictures and the United States by IFC Films on April 26, 2024, and on Shudder on July 26, 2024.
The website's consensus reads: "Humane's twisted psychological thrills are diverting enough in the moment to distract from its occasionally awkward attempts to balance sociopolitical commentary against high-concept horror.
[12] Owen Gleiberman of Variety stated, "Cronenberg stages Humane with a fearless matter-of-factness, with telling nods to issues of corporate surveillance and the evils of private contracting, and with a vivid eye for the schemes and secrets hidden in the Victorian nooks and crannies of that house.
"[13] A three out of four stars review from Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times stated, "There are some delightfully squeamish scenes — but this is primarily a psychological thriller, an update/variation on The Fall of the House of Usher.
"[14] John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal stated, "Hardcore horror fans will get their dose of mayhem from Humane, though in its modest, tidily organized fashion the film might also get under the skin.
"[16] A two out of four stars review on RogerEbert.com stated, "Most of what's clever about Humane exists on its fringe—including perhaps that a Cronenberg has made a film that's, at least in part, about nepotism—primarily in how it throws its characters from their ivory tower and then watches them fight in the mud over who gets to climb back up.
The social commentary talking points embedded in Humane are undoubtedly intriguing, but too many of them feel superficial, flirting with ideas about privilege without having much to say about them.