Depraved (2019) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The movie takes place primarily in a Brooklyn laboratory where the experiment occurs, along with a museum that showcases the grotesque intersection of art and weaponry. The city serves as a facade of normalcy where identities collide, while the woods function as a haunting escape route for key decisions and concealments.

• brooklyn laboratory
• setting
• museum
• city
• woods

Depraved is set in a contemporary, modern-day setting. The story unfolds in a world where modern medical ethics collide with ancient moral questions about creation, identity, and humanity.

• contemporary
• modern era
• time period

The primary themes explored in Depraved are identity, betrayal, and survival. The film examines what constitutes individuality when one's body and mind are radically transformed, while also exploring the complex dynamics of trust and betrayal between creator and creation, and the desperate lengths one will go to for survival.

• identity
• betrayal
• survival
• themes
• morality

Adam is the name given to the creature created by Henry in the laboratory. He is an amalgamation of spare body parts, including a stolen brain, and represents the altered version of Alex (Owen Campbell). Adam struggles with remnants of his past life while adapting to a new reality that is both alien and disconcerting.

• adam
• character
• created being
• alex

Henry (real name David Call) is the creator figure in the film, a former army medic now working in a Brooklyn laboratory. He is a complicated character with a troubled past, grappling with the moral implications of his actions. His relationship with Adam oscillates between mentor and tormentor as he attempts to balance his responsibilities while facing his own psychological scars.

• henry
• david call
• creator
• army medic

Polidori (real name Joshua Leonard) is a morally ambiguous character driven by ambition in the pharmaceutical industry. His eagerness for success leads him to make perilous choices that impact others drastically, serving as a catalyst for much of the film's conflict and highlighting the darker side of innovation and its consequences.

• polidori
• joshua leonard
• antagonist
• pharmaceutical

Lucy (real name Chloe Levine) represents a haunting reminder of Alex's past life. Her encounter with Adam reveals the emotional weight of unrecognized love and loss, as she remains oblivious to the dramatic transformation that has stripped Alex of his former identity.

• lucy
• chloe levine
• love interest
• past life

The theme of identity in Depraved is explored through Adam's transformation from Alex, an amalgamation of spare parts with a stolen brain. This loss of self raises questions about what constitutes individuality and the emotional toll of reinvention. The journey illustrates how past experiences and memories shape our sense of being, even amidst drastic physical change.

• identity loss
• self
• memory
• transformation

Betrayal in Depraved weaves throughout the narrative as characters navigate their moral compasses. The relationship between Henry and Adam reveals deep complexities of trust and survival, while Polidori's actions ultimately lead to catastrophic consequences. The theme showcases the dark side of ambition and revenge, questioning whether betrayal can ever be justified.

• betrayal
• trust
• ambition
• revenge
• consequences

Survival in Depraved goes beyond mere existence, it examines the lengths one would go to avoid death and seek revenge. Adam's reliance on medication highlights the fragility of life and the ethical dilemmas surrounding medical interventions. The tension rises as personal survival frequently clashes with moral and ethical boundaries.

• survival
• life
• death
• medication
• ethics

The tone of Depraved is consistently dark, grappling with the ethics of creation, the trauma of war, and the dehumanization of its protagonist. There is no levity to offset the grim subject matter, which includes graphic violence, psychological torment, and the high-stakes consequences of the experiment gone wrong.

• dark tone
• violence
• psychological
• horror

The laboratory serves as the dark and unsettling space where Alex is transformed into Adam, a blend of human and technology. It represents the intersection of scientific ambition and moral transgression, where Henry attempts to play God by creating life from salvaged body parts, setting the central conflict of the film in motion.

• laboratory
• creation
• experiment
• science

Shelley (real name Addison Timlin) is a character intertwined with Polidori's ambitions. Her role raises questions about loyalty, complicity, and the struggles of being associated with someone driven by greed and a blinding desire for fame in the pharmaceutical industry.

• shelley
• addison timlin
• polidori
• complicity