petediddy-93662 There is lots I like about this film , the filming , the cityscape , the interaction between the mother and daughter . Also , the internal struggle with the meaning of life which lot of us identify with . I mainly struggled with her lack of money , despite having a high profile job in a large company , she had actually nothing to survive on and live in a very modest flat . I'm not sure how she could barely survive a month when she lost her job . The realisation of employment reduction in the future will frighten the millenials.also I missed where the replacement bodies come from.

Analee Miranda I have to be honest, "Advantageous" is intriguing but frustrating for the first hour. Part mystery and part Dystopian-sleeper-drama, the story moves at a snail pace but like yarn to a scarf the information in the first carefully woven scenes is vital. Set in a near-distant future with a nearly non-existent middle-class and where education and talent are no longer commodities, Gwen relies on her beauty and youth to barely hold on to her middle-class standing. As she faces the ever-constant ravages of time, with a child to support, and a past she's too ashamed to confront Gwen makes a desperate decision to try an experimental procedure in order to guarantee that her daughter Jules secures a spot in the elite class.I cannot emphasize enough the emotional roller-coaster that the film evokes in its last thirty minutes. The nature-nurture argument alone will keep your mind reeling as the closing credits roll but as a former foster caregiver and parent, I cannot discount the deep ache that I still feel over the interaction between Gwen and Jules in the last few scenes.Described as "animal connection" in the film, the fact that consciousness is inching closer to a scientific definition is challenged by writers Phang and Kim who decry that consciousness without soul is incomplete.As a mathematical physicist, however, I find the ending hopeful in that "time" seems to be the missing ingredient. Reminiscent of Maxwell's equation's, I find that just as the time-harmonic equations show a simple and basic universe of electricity and magnetism, the consciousness-soul equation may indeed have its own trivial time-harmonic consequences.I hope you will agree with me, though, that the movie has an optimistic end since the final interactions between Gwen and Jules reignite a soul-like spark that is different but connected nonetheless to the original. It is this type of soul that many adoptive parents and children share and it is this time-dependent ingredient that may signify the potential for a complete scientific definition of consciousness.I recommend "Advantageous" highly and give it a rating of 9 out 10. It is worth it to suffer through the slow-paced start to reach a thoughtful, surprising, and satisfying finish. I do warn you, however, that you need to enjoy or at least be intrigued by science at some level to be as enthusiastic about the film as I am.

Theblacktionstar Advantageous explores themes of technology in relation to the alteration of the human physique and the social impacts of it. The film also asks the question how far these ideas can be taken by humans. The main character in the film, Gwen, has to change her appearance in order to become a better public figure for her job. The obvious idea here is that she is getting old and her looks are not enough. But I found it interesting that the film had a large cast of East Asian actors, and that when she switched her appearance to that of a Caucasian woman. This speaks about the obsession that Western media has with the looks of Caucasians.We find out near the end that Gwen in reality had to die and a clone of her with a different appearance took her place when she got the augmentation. This twist is shown to the viewer via a flashback. Gwen wilfully agrees, knowing that her daughter will be raised by this clone. Themes of family, capitalist economy and determination come to the forefront. The second half of the Advantageous is largely spent on the ramifications of this decision. And to me, is where the film finally becomes interesting. I initially found the movie to be a tad dull. Many of the actors in the film, including the lead are very blank faced, humourless and oddly stoic. Even the usually goofy Ken Jeong shows up for a limited part where he does not even get to crack a smile. The film is going for an aesthetic of pure realism, though I have never found that "plain" can equate "relatable". The lack of personality for me always makes scenes of exposition similar to the experience of reading a book unless the acting is absolutely perfect. So, on that level, the film did not work for me as much of the dialogue is in fact, exposition. However, this sense of realism began to grow on me as the film went along. I have always found myself to be interested in the theatrical aspects of cinema, working with actors, telling narrative stories. And this film took a turn for the better in its second half, because my favourite type of science fiction is the type that is about the feeling of ideals rather than an analysis of them. Film, to me, is a medium that is purely about making the viewers feel emotion, and this movie at its core is about the relationship of a mother and daughter. The idea of science fiction films being an impossibility as mentioned in Grant's "Sensous Elaboration", I think is more about the distinguishment between interesting and uninteresting science fiction films. The difference between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Interstellar is that despite being films about similar subject matter, they handle it differently. In Interstellar characters discuss the science fiction ideals with expository dialogue so that the audience understands what is happening while in 2001, Kubrick does very little to explain what is happening and the film is therefore more of a sensorial experience. This film explores a what-if scenario in which these two characters faced an impossible situation, which made it interesting. The movie to me is about how the relationship of two people would be affected in a fictional world. Since the intricacies of the technology is not necessarily spectacular, the film explores the characters, and if it were to focus solely on the technology, the film would be very boring to me. Instead, it is a serviceable character piece with a science fiction backdrop.

Michael Oman-Reagan This is great Sci-Fi. An indie film that really makes you think. Diverse, apocalyptic, and deals with capitalism, race, bodies, gender, technology and more in a captivating story. One of my favourite Sci-Fi films this year.One thing I really love is the total construction of a possible future culture, with all the attendant details. It worked so well! From language, to hints about water, and other implied situations or cultural change. Loved the subtlety! I also found it so refreshing vs. big-budget Sci-Fi that hits you over head with what's going on, then does an "explanation" dialogue for 10 minutes. This is a film for curious people, who like to think with cinema.