THE POD GENERATION

In a near future where all ideologies have been crushed under the weight of total ultra-liberalism, Rachel and Aly live in perfect loving harmony thanks to the benefits of domestic artificial intelligence. All their needs are met thanks to this cybernetic housekeeper: what to eat, what to wear, what to do, when to work, how to work, how to raise the toilet seat, how to avoid thinking left, how to turn right… Everything is managed by technology. When Rachel – who has always dreamed of having a child – receives a well-deserved promotion, her boss offers to pay for part of an artificial pregnancy at the “Womb Center”. Basically, she buys herself a portable artificial uterus, or “pod,” and gets rid of stretch marks, foot swelling and uncontrollable cravings in the process. All the while confirming to the image of the successful American woman on top of her professional productivity. The only thing holding her back is Aly, her botanist husband. He’s a little bit old school and prefers the miracle of human biology to one of those expensive Tamagotchi’s… Thirteen years after saying hello to us at the BIFFF with COLD SOULS, Sophie Barthes is back in Brussels with a chilling dystopian satire. With Emilia Clarke (GAME OF THRONES) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 YEARS A SLAVE) brilliantly showcasing the artificial side of our modern intelligence.