Starring Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor pod generation Written and directed by Sophie Barthes, it opens with Rachel imagining she’s pregnant — but it’s just a dream. Her smart home helps her start the day by 3D printing toast, making coffee and picking out the day’s clothes. Her husband Alvy (Ejiofor) is more down to earth. He was a botanist and professor who encouraged his wife and his students to reconnect with nature. Rachel hadn’t told her husband yet that she was on a waiting list at Pegazus Utero Clinic, a place where babies are grown from pod eggs, and her consultation date was finally here.
In this not-too-distant future society, anything considered natural is considered a foreign object, because people have forgotten how to interact with nature. Alvy wanted to give birth naturally, but Rachael didn’t want the pregnancy to interfere with her work. He freaked out when she told him, but eventually embraced the idea. Ultimately, what seemed like a good idea at the time put a strain on their marriage and changed their perspective on why nature and technology might not always be the best combination.
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pod generation Sends a clear message that the further we deviate from the natural order, the more ignorant humans become. If they continue to be separated by technology, people will lose something. It’s actually destroying people’s ability to connect with each other. There is something to be said about what childbirth means, who should give birth, and who will have access to proper care when all is said and done. Having children is too expensive, one of the many reasons why women choose not to have children. There is a tinge of condemnation of red tape in the American healthcare system, that doing anything outside the norm is unacceptable.
Andrij Parekh’s photography, aided by Clement Price-Thomas’ vibrant set design, creates an innovative, futuristic look that’s not far from a real possibility.In most metropolitan environments, you can find anything you need, as in pod generation. Want therapy? You go to a pod and talk to an AI named Eliza. Want to be in nature without leaving the house? Go for a natural pod. Need some fresh air? Go clean air. In fact, all problems have solutions. Too much reliance on technology prevents people from thinking for themselves, so it makes sense that Alvi and Rachel are behaving weirdly when it’s time to be decisive.
The problem pod generation Too much time is spent fumbling around with these characters instead of getting there faster. The shitck worked for a while, but the last 30 minutes I was desperate to draw conclusions because it said all it needed to say at the 90 minute mark. Beyond that, the story is a missed opportunity to address some queer sentiments when it comes to addressing who gets to have children and who deserves to have and raise them. But I will say that Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor are doing great comedy with his facial expressions, his body language, and her facial expressions and awkward smiles. They are a good pair with the potential to pursue future careers together.
pod generation Staged like a fever dream. Slices of a character’s life are strung together rather than linked by dreams and visions of different lives. It’s fertility, but it’s more of a warning of where we’re headed if we don’t loosen our grip on some of the technologies we’ve become obsessed with as a species. Especially when the film keeps in mind the theme of evolution, where technology seems to keep getting smarter all the time while we regress.
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