The Pod Generation

The Pod Generation
American theatrical release poster
Directed bySophie Barthes
Written bySophie Barthes
Produced by
  • Geneviève Lemal
  • Yann Zenou
  • Nadia Kamlichi
  • Martin Metz
Starring
CinematographyAndrij Parekh
Edited by
Music by
  • Evgueni Galperine
  • Sasha Galperine
Production
companies
  • Scope Pictures
  • Quad Productions
Distributed by
  • jour2fête Distribution (France)
  • Lionsgate (United Kingdom)
Release dates
  • 19 January 2023 (2023-01-19) (Sundance)
  • 25 October 2023 (2023-10-25) (France)
Running time
110 minutes
Countries
  • Belgium
  • France
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$31,569

The Pod Generation is a 2023 science fiction romantic comedy film written and directed by Sophie Barthes.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 19 January 2023.

Plot

A New York couple, Rachel and Alvy, live in a not-so-distant future. A rising tech company executive, Rachel lands a coveted spot on the waitlist for the Womb Center, which offers couples maternity by way of detachable artificial wombs, or pods. Alvy, a botanist with an affection for nature, prefers a natural pregnancy. Despite their different perspectives, they decide to go forward with the Womb Center's services in order to conceive a child.

Cast

Production

It was announced in October 2021 that Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor would star in the film, which was to be written and directed by Sophie Barthes. In May 2022, Rosalie Craig, Vinette Robinson and Kathryn Hunter were reported as added to the cast. Rita Bernard-Shaw and Megan Maczko were reported as part of the cast in November 2022.

Filming took place in March 2022 in Belgium.

Release

The Pod Generation premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 19 January 2023. In March 2023, Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment acquired North America rights and released the film in limited cinemas on 11 August 2023. The film was released in France on 25 October.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 41% of 76 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "With its roundabout script undermining solid performances from Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Pod Generation stimulates the mind but not much else." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

References

  1. ↑ "The Pod Generation de Sophie Barthes (2022)". Unifrance. Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  2. 1 2 "The Pod Generation (12)". British Board of Film Classification. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  3. ↑ "The Pod Generation". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "The Pod Generation (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  5. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (25 October 2021). "Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor to Star in Sci-Fi Romance The Pod Generation, MK2 Films Boards Sales – AFM (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  6. ↑ Goldbart, Max (4 May 2022). "The Pod Generation: Anatomy Of A Scandal Star Rosalie Craig And Boiling Point Breakout Vinette Robinson Board Sci-Fi Romcom Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor & Emilia Clarke". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  7. ↑ "2023 In Film: 10 Highly Anticipated Sci-Fi Movies Coming in 2023". Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  8. ↑ Appel à candidatures: envie de figurer aux côtés d’Emilia Clarke («Game Of Thrones») et Chiwetel Ejiofor («Twelve Years A Slave»)? Archived 29 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  9. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (7 December 2022). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Set With Ukraine War, Little Richard, Michael J. Fox, Judy Blume Docs; Pics With Anne Hathaway, Emilia Clarke, Jonathan Majors; More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Grobar, Matt (28 March 2023). "Sundance Prize Winner The Pod Generation Starring Emilia Clarke & Chiwetel Ejiofor Set For Release By Roadside Attractions & Vertical". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 24 July 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  11. ↑ Rath, Katy (4 August 2023). "The Pod Generation: Release Date, Trailer & Everything We Know". Screen Rant. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "The Pod Generation, un impressionnant film de SF avec Emilia Clarke : avis et bande-annonce". Sortir A Paris (in French). 12 October 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "The Pod Generation". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 3 September 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  14. ↑ "The Pod Generation". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.