Parents' Guide to The Pod Generation

Crepe-thin and perhaps a little too long, this sci-fi movie ultimately makes the cut thanks to its strong performances and a visual scheme that subtly clashes between the organic and the inorganic. The Pod Generation doesn't dig much deeper than its theme of "tech vs. nature," and the story takes the easy way out by having one partner accept the tech and the other clearly prefer the nature. (Thankfully, Rachel and Alvy seem to share healthy communication, and this isn't the central conflict.) But along the way it deals with intriguing side themes such as the fact that technology tends to go hand-in-hand with corporations—which are, in the end, more concerned with profits than with the well-being of customers. It also touches on the idea of women facing the pressure to decide between a career and a family. (Having it both ways is difficult, if not impossible, in the movie's chilly future.)

Otherwise, it's Clarke and Ejiofor—one or both of whom are on-screen for virtually the entire movie—who hold things together here. They have great chemistry, and they seem to have really devoted themselves to their characters, providing the movie with a much-needed emotional center. The Pod Generation is a whisper of a movie, not unlike the similarly toned Love Me, that may shimmer away into the ether after a viewing. But, then again, for some viewers, it may strike a chord.