CraveOnline: The media pressure of images is something I think about in my business all the time, so the idea that they could actually gain more tools to manipulate us is scary.
Jennifer Phang: Yes, it’s frightening and I guess maybe that also is a factor in the design of the film. It’s hard to single out one thing.
Jacqueline Kim: You know what, when you look at neuroscience, all they’re talking about is awareness and how incredibly powerful human consciousness and awareness is. So even though I hear in a lot of your questions that the technological arm may come over and do these things, I remember that these things are created by humans. And I also remember that my power as a human being and my consciousness is still intact. It may be morphing right as we speak, but what I’m aware of is there.
Look, I’d also love to live in the matrix. That sounds great to me.
Jennifer Phang: [Laughs.] It is interesting how there is a camp of people who are completely okay with the idea of being digitized, having a digital life entirely and not necessarily concerned about the birth of their soul, or what a soul is. For a lot of people, soul is just ideas.
Was the idea of Han (Ken Jeong) something you’d wanted to portray in the shot?
Jennifer Phang: The Han and Lily past was something Jacqueline and I developed together for the feature.
What are each of your favorite science-fiction movies or stories?
Jennifer Phang: I hate that my answer is so obvious but it is. I think I was inspired to develop science fiction after watching Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell. I’m laughing at myself because they’re just way too obvious. I’m really a huge fan of Primer so I think maybe the emotional journey that you go through with Ghost in the Shell and Blade Runner, the idea of who am I? An android. What does technology have to do with my identity? That’s appealing but in Primer there is a lot of talking about technology. That’s also exciting to me. I guess I was excited about doing a talky, emotional sci-fi film.
Jacqueline Kim: I’m a big fan of THX-1138. I love that story. I feel like it’s got so much going on spacially, visually, but also emotionally. Also I’m a huge fan of Jacques Tati and all his films that have to do with space, people moving through space and technology taking over, the advent of modern technology.
I do want to offer one thing that I got after watching the film last night that I feel like you might appreciate. I feel like we’re creating a new genre with our film which is called “domestic sci-fi.” I think that really aptly describes it, if it doesn’t sound too bland, but I like that.
Jennifer Phang: I’ve been saying “sci-fi family drama” but domestic sci-fi is really great.
Jacqueline Kim: Yay!
Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.
