Oedipus N+1

Synopsis:

In a nightmarish future, the wealthy elite maintain The Circle, a stratum of society that can use technology for regeneration, although it’s unclear if a person is regenerated into reality or if this New Life is a cyber world. Thomas Steiner is regenerated, thanks to his mother, and it seems her goal is for him to lose his homosexuality. He awakens from his regeneration with memories of Kazo, a man he loved. He goes in search of him. But, was Kazo ever real? And what will mother make of this son who leaves the safety of The Circle in search of something else?

Quick Thoughts:

“Oedips N+1” is quite an enjoyable queer short sci-fi film, yet also has the key components for a thriller. The plot follows the life of Thomas, from his rebirth out of the white nothingness of regeneration back into society. Or as both the viewer and Thomas quickly realise, his mother’s “ideal” life – rather than Thomas’ original life and identity. Captivated by flashbacks of his lover Kazo, one of the first things Thomas does is to leave The Circle in order to find Kazo. What a difference between The Circle and the outer world! Yet locations Thomas could swear to be real don’t exists. There’s an odd twist in the digital “Hacker’s Lounge” where digital recreations of his friends (and Thomas!) “live”. The plot gets a tad philosophical here. Yet it’s also in the lounge that we discover that Kazo isn’t real, but is actually another man called Louis. Unfortunately, Thomas’ new life is cut short shortly after this revelation by none other than his own mother! And the cycle begins again… Overall, it’s a decent queer short. The film is in French, so most of us probably will need the subtitles. But it’s definitely a queer film. Not only is Thomas definitely gay, but he holds film to himself even though his mother clearly is trying to change her son’s identity. She tries to make up excuses on why Thomas can’t recall his fiancée Helena, but all we can see is a mother trying to force a different form of conversion therapy upon her son. Although naming the film after Oedipus isn’t quite right; Thomas detests his mother, instead of the usual loving son in the Oedipus Complex. A more apropos title would be Jocasta, for it’s actually the mother who loves her son so much that she will repeatedly kill and attempt to “fix” Thomas to be straight. And that bit alone makes this almost a horror film! If you’re into science fiction and futuristic dystopias, then you’ll enjoy this queer short sci-fi film.