2023 Sundance Film Festival: The Pod Generation movie review

The 2023 Sundance Film Festival has kicked off. This is my second straight year covering it for Hidden Remote, and I am excited to share my thoughts on all the films from the festival with you. I kick off my festival coverage with the Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor film, The Pod Generation.

The Pod Generation follows a New York couple wild ride to parenthood using a new tool developed by a tech giant, Pegazus. The movie was written and directed by Sophie Barthes and stars Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

We meet Rachel (Clarke), who is up and at it early in the morning, but in the post-future world, a Siri-like technology named Elena is talking to her about her day, vitals, and what she should do today. Moments later, we meet Alvy (Ejiofor), who isn’t a morning person and doesn’t love mornings or Elena that much.

We find out that Rachel had a womb meeting, but hasn’t told Alvy because he is more inclined to have a baby the natural way. Alvy is trying to cling to the idea of nature by exploring with his students by eating things off of trees, and he isn’t in love with the idea that people have divorced themselves from that idea. Sadly, Rachel’s fears force her to attend the womb meeting alone without him. After the visit, Rachel is convinced to put the deposit down on the baby.

Upon returning home, Rachel informs Alvy of what she did, and things don’t go great as he is extremely upset with her. The pair decide to attempt to consult with their friends who are experiencing the same thing, but it doesn’t go well as Alvy is still uncertain. Finally, after much discussion, Alvy sees how important it is to Rachel and agrees to it.

The Pod Generation is a fascinating futuristic sci-fi film with an authentic story

One of the more fascinating things that stood out was how creative writer/director Sophie Barthes was in creating this incredible world. Not once did it feel like something that wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for society as it is leading to it becoming relatable on a real level. The attention to detail in the production design is top-notch, and some of the things were cool to see. On top of that, Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine’s score adds an essential extra layer to the overall film that was beautiful and much needed.

Of course, I have to talk about both the performances of Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Both of these actors are at the top of their game within the movie, and how each of them starts and finishes within their respective roles sees a shift that highlights both actors’ range. The duo is the perfect pairing for the film. Plus, Clarke is an incredible actress I adore, and I would watch anything she is in for what she brings to the movie she is in.

Overall, The Pod Generation is a fascinating futuristic sci-fi film with an authentic story from Sophie Barthes that will surely spark conversation. The production design, and the beautiful score tied to endearing performances from Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor, I quite enjoyed it. Definitely seek this one out when it is released.