Advantageous

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Advantageous

2015

1h 30m

Drama

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

In a future where opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter Jules try to hold on to their joy.

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Critics Consensus

Advantageous transcends obvious budgetary limitations to pose thought-provoking questions about gender roles and family dynamics.

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Leigh Kolb

Bitch Media

The film... features stunning cinematography, excellent acting, and beautiful writing (albeit sometimes heavy-handed, which I'd prefer to writing that does not attempt to say anything).

Feb 3, 2021

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

t's a small film that tackles a massive issue in a very vulnerable way, yielding a story about a mother's love, self-worth, and youth obsession.

Rated: B+

Sep 1, 2017

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Manohla Dargis

New York Times

A picture emerges that at times suggests a strange if alluring mash-up of "Stella Dallas" and Michel Foucault, with a smidgen of Jean-Luc Godard's "Alphaville" and a hint of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale."

Jun 25, 2015

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Jennifer Bisset

CNET

A small-budget gem, Advantageous is a film that sci-fi fans should tick off their list.

Mar 21, 2023

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Monisha Ravisetti

CNET

After the screen faded to black, I silently contemplated what I'd just witnessed, switched off my television and walked away with an odd new lens on what it means to be alive.

Feb 7, 2023

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Kathi Maio

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

Advantageous is a quiet and affecting film that contains a good bit of (not too pointed) social commentary. But it is primarily a meditation on human identity and the delicate nature of familial relationships.

Mar 11, 2020

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KB B

I thought it was really well done with an interesting premise. Then there was the non ending. It's like they couldn't come up with a decent ending so it just ended without little resolution. Therefore I took off a star.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/03/24

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Fernando R

"A maternal dilemma used as a hook for a mundane human quest." Awesome performances!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

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Jeffrey P

Slow, uncaptivating, and melodramatic with notes of dystopia and sci-fi sprinkled throughout.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/11/23

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Tony K

For a film format, it was pretty dry. Possibly coming up with this idea would have been a great episode for Black Mirror.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/27/23

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georgan g

Enjoyed this sci fi drama about social injustice. It shows how women have to put their children ahead of their own needs. Also, touches on friendship, family & how we all need fairness to succeed.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This was not for me. I'd had this in my Netflix queue for months and decided to watch it as one of the items, series or movie, I still had in my list before I shut down service as there's just not much there for me anymore. I found the pacing too slow, even for me, which is saying something as I really try to be patient and allow things to play out and develop the ideas a movie has. I was also confused and bored at times. I feel that there were points in the story line that weren't fleshed out nearly enough to clairfy their necessity. Performances were fine, though I felt the daughter's acting, especially her body language, was rather depressing. The movie also really only touched on sci-fi briefly. The change into 'Gwen 2.0' was more a matter of fitting an age group and race demographic than working on ideas in a purely science context. And the use of futuristic tech like hologram calls and voice activations are more like eventual IT developments we're headed towards in due time. This was something of a waste of some skilled actors, namely Jacqueline Kim and Jennifer Ehle. 2.6 stars

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

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Jennifer Phang

Director

Jacqueline Kim

Gwen

James Urbaniak

Fisher

Freya Adams

Gwen 2.0

Ken Jeong

Han

Jennifer Ehle

Isa Cryer

Young Ones

47%

36%

Young Ones

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56%

89%

Clara

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Jonathan

62%

55%

Jonathan

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53%

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After We Leave

83%

38%

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Synopsis

In a future where opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter Jules try to hold on to their joy.

Director: Jennifer Phang
Producer: Bogdan George Apetri, Robert M. Chang, Sean Gillane, Taro Goto, Ken Jeong, Jacqueline Kim, Moon Molson, Theresa Navarro
Screenwriter: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 29, 2016
Runtime: 1h 30m

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