Advantageous (2015)

In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter Jules do all they can to hold on to their joy together, despite the instability surfacing in their world.

Director:

Jennifer Phang

Writers:

Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang

Stars:

Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams

7 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacqueline Kim	...	Gwen
James Urbaniak	...	Fisher
Freya Adams	...	Gwen 2.0
Ken Jeong	...	Han
Jennifer Ehle	...	Isa Cryer
Samantha Kim	...	Jules
Troi Zee	...	Amanda
Olivia Horton	...	Sarai
Jennifer Ikeda	...	Lily
Mercedes Griffeth	...	Ginger
Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris	...	Winnie
Theresa Navarro	...	Olivia
Rex Lee	...	Drake (rumored)
Jeanne Sakata	...	Soon Yang
Matthew Kim	...	Ken

Storyline

In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter Jules do all they can to hold on to their joy together, despite the instability surfacing in their world.

---

Plot Keywords:

dystopia | mother daughter relationship | title directed by female | mind transference | single mother | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

23 June 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Выгода

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Premiered at Sundance 2015.

---

Quotes

Gwen: Upstairs woman or downstairs woman?
[Jules stands up on bed and listens; then she puts her ear to floor and listens]
Jules: Both.

---

Connections

Featured in Stuff You Like: 129: Advantageous (2015)

---

Soundtracks

FORTITUDE
Written by Robert Nunnally (as Robert H. Nunnally, Jr.)
Performed by Gurdonark(Robert Nunnally)

User Reviews

Mesmerizing sci-fi portraying real human emotions and interactions

Wow. I had no idea what to expect when I put this on, but it blew me completely away. I am certain that the pacing may alienate many a viewer expecting every, "good" sci-fi to be filled mainly with spectacular future-tech fighting, and maybe scratch the surface of big questions in a futuristic society.

Advantageous do approach the latter, although nuanced, and more subtle than most films in this genre do. First and foremost, Advantageous focus on what defines the parent/child-relationship through portrayals of emotions and behavior that feel real. Not overly dramatic, not "scripted" like in most movies, but like the breathing dialectics of how those mechanics do work in real life.

The stage is set in a dystopian future. There are elements of class conflict, and philosophical approaches to defining the Id and the Ego. But these are still all secondary to the parental element. I didn't feel that the topics were rushed, too complicated, pretentious or superficially presented in any way, but that might be a matter of my approach as a viewer; my focus on the movie while it ran, and my general interest in the subjects in my own life.

I also found Advantageous to be stylistically excellent. From the general designs, locations, wardrobe, make-up, CGI. The lead actors did a great job, and the directing was superbly executed. Same goes for both editing and the atmospheric soundtrack; technical elements that I find myself often annoyed at in many a modern movie.

I'd put Advantageous under the same banner as Her and Ex Machina, for comparison. Although it should be noted that the melancholic joyfulness from Her, and the enigmatic suspense from Ex Machina are both lacking completely here as Advantageous is a lot more of a subtle epic, with a focus on the humane interrelationships much more than what both those movies do. And to me, that was exactly what made Advantageous such a brilliant, unique gem, although I dearly love both Her and Ex Machina as well.