Like the creation of artificial monsters in other sci-fi movies, Zhuo En (Delphine Chanéac) of "Artificial Evolution" also came from the ambition of a scientist. Elsa (Sarah Polley) and Cliff (Adrien Brody), a couple of scientists, have successfully mixed the genes of multiple organisms to create a new variety of organisms rich in high protein in order to treat various human diseases. However, Elsa, who is not satisfied with this, secretly combines her genes to cultivate a humanoid monster with a special appearance and a long tail, and treat it as her own child. During a literacy exercise, the new creature spelled out the word Nerd (nerd) on Elsa's clothes without guidance, and Elsa named her Dren.
First and foremost, a name is the first step in giving Drowne's existence a meaning. With a name, the man-made monster is no longer an ordinary man-made monster, and its place of existence has also undergone a subtle change. Generally speaking, people do not bother to name animals under scientific experiments, at most they are called by numbers. Only pets such as cats and dogs will be given a unique name. Because of the name, the relationship between each other will be closer, indicating that the existence of the other party is meaningful to them. Therefore, when Cliff is still unable to accept Drowne due to scientific and ethical reasons, and even wants to destroy it, Elsa keeps stopping him, and the two have a heated argument. However, unlike Cliff's serious attitude towards Zhuoen as a scientific species, Elsa takes care of Zhuoen in every possible way. Ersa's heart is not just an experimental animal, the interaction between the two is obviously more intimate, the original "it" has become "she", and their relationship has already begun to ferment.
Zhuo En's uniqueness comes not only from her name, but also from her genetic origin. Zhuo En's body is fused with the genes of various species, one of which is Elsa's gene. Even if there is only this meager connection, from the perspective of this relationship, Zhuo En and Elsa can still be regarded as mother and daughter, and Elsa treats Zhuo En like a mother, carefully teaching her to read and dress her. Dress up, once Zhuo En behaves badly, Elsa will be angry and scold her. The name changed Zhuo En from an experimental animal to a pet-like existence, and the genetic connection and emotional injection made Zhuo En sublime from a pet to a position almost equal to Elsa. The director kept breaking the norms of morality and ethics, challenging the audience's acceptance, until the episode dubbed "bestiality" finally broke out completely, disturbing the balance between science and nature, and hitting the last line of defense of morality and ethics, making Zhuo En from On a certain level, it is completely placed on the same level as human beings.
Such character setting and plot arrangement subvert the tradition that these scientific monsters are always placed in the position of "them" in the past. The reason why they are called "them" is to highlight the differences - including appearance, good and evil, civilization and Barbarism, rationality, instinct, etc.—emphasize that the "we" of human beings are still higher than "them", and "them" is nothing but something created and controlled by "us". Zhuo En is fond of raw meat, can't speak, his intelligence may not be much different than that of humans, and there is also a huge gap in appearance. In fact, he can still be included in the "them" family, but judging from Elsa's attitude and Cliff's emotional sex with him , it is "us" that destroys this layer of difference and makes "them" become "us". Interestingly, if interpreted from an ironic angle, it is simply that "we" devalue themselves and are willing to be "them", especially the emergence of sexual intercourse scenes that imply incest (father and daughter) meanings, making this layer of ethics and morality that belong to human conduct thoroughly. Lost, return to animal instinct.
What was the director's initial idea? It was meant to show off, or whether it was a warning, I have no way of knowing. However, the fact is that the progress of science and technology is so fast that even at a speed that we can't expect, the news of genetic engineering is no longer a new thing, but has the morality and ethics of human beings improved along with it? This is questionable. “Sometimes we don’t even know we’ve come so far,” writes The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2009), a science fiction novel about androids. Compared with the blockbuster debut on the big screen, Cube (1997), the plot arrangement of "Artificial Evolution" is obviously full of loopholes. Fortunately, in the field of human nature and horror, the director still maintains a certain level. When the potbellied Elsa looks out at the city view from the window, what is the future of mankind in her eyes?
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