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Having children and pursuing a career has never been easier: in the near future, AI-generated eggs will take over pregnancy. A satire about the price of unbridled tech gigantomania.
Author: Michael Sennhauser
Emilia Clarke and the eggs: Once again the actress has problems with the offspring to hatch. In the “Game of Thrones” series, their persistence with the dragon eggs paid off; the fully grown beasts secured their power as “Mother of Dragons”. Even if not permanently.
In Sophie Barthes’ science fiction satire “The Pod Generation”, Clarke takes on the role of the young career woman Rachel Novy, who is now also struggling with strange eggs.
In order not to jeopardize her career prospects through pregnancy, she signs up for the pod-fetus program run by the fictional tech giant Pegazus.
Having children with AI
Her friend and boss at the company celebrates the outsourced uteri—giant, Apple-designed, entirely app-controlled eggs—as the ultimate feminist liberation.
Legend: Oh, look! Alvy (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a professor of botany – and from now on he has to deal with a really fake egg. Ascot Elite Entertainment
Rachel’s problem is her husband Alvy (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a botany professor and nature fanatic who is happiest when he can bury his fingers in the potting soil of his many trees.
A swipe at the tech industry
Sophie Barthes and her husband and cameraman Andrij Parekh stage the whole thing appropriately futuristically in a New York that appears stylish and sterile between Tati’s “Modern Times” and the Apple universe.
The satirical side of the film remains rather thin. Of course, the efficiency-driven mendacity of the corporate world gets its fat and the breeding division of Pegazus perfectly embodies the exaggerated technological arrogance, led by Jean-Marc Barr’s character, who is reminiscent of a cross between Elon Musk and Steve Jobs.
Legend: Rachel (Emilia Clarke) outsources her pregnancy to her husband Alvy (Chiwetel Ejiofor). He carries the plastic egg with love and dignity. 2023 Ascot Elite Entertainment.
At its core, however, the film deals with motherhood and parenthood in a very moving way. Barthes also finds a twist to get to the point: Alvy agrees to a pod pregnancy for his wife’s sake and develops surprisingly fatherly feelings for the child in the plastic egg that he always carries with him.
And Rachel? She develops the “uterus envy” that her feminist friend previously attributed to men.
The price of progress
The philosophical and psychological-historical aspects of the French-American filmmaker’s script are all too often reflected in the dialogue. But she also finds funny pictorial implementations.
Legend: Sofa was once: Rachel’s therapist is a giant eye who has a very special view of psychology. 2023 Ascot Elite Entertainment
Rachel’s therapist, for example, is an AI, divinely represented by a huge eye in a wreath of flowers. She has rejected all of 20th century psychology, including dream interpretation, which provides an interesting contrast to the numerous dream sequences that Rachel experiences surrounding the outsourced pregnancy.
The dreams, in turn, go back to visions the filmmaker had 14 years ago during her own pregnancy on her first major film production.
«The Pod Generation» beim NIFFF
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The science fiction dramedy “The Pod Generation” was shown at this year’s 22nd Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival NIFFF as an opening film.
The actors get the most out of their demanding roles. Chiwetel Ejiofor in particular manages to portray vulnerable, touching masculinity with a maximum of dignity as Alvy.
Emilia Clarke fights against the fact that her role is initially more of a catalyst and function than a psychologically credible female figure. She is at her strongest in the dream sequences and towards the end of the film when she has found her Rachel.
Cinema release: September 14, 2023
2023-09-15 16:22:24
#cinema #Pod #Generation #children #careers
