Thursday, October 11, 2012

True Skin: Sci Fi set in Thailand

For better or worse, here's True Skin, a short film from director Stephan Zlotescu and production firm N1ON about a cyborg fugitive in a future-noir Bangkok. I would agree with IO9.com that this is definitely worth 5 minutes of your time and it's always nice to see upcoming film-makers inspired by works such as Blade Runner and Syd Mead's designs.


That being said, I can see many of my colleagues objections that once again, Bangkok gets used as an almost racist, post-colonial shorthand for vice and a hyper-sexualized underworld where life is cheap. Part of the strength of Blade Runner or Escape from New York was presenting these dystopias in America, a 'that could never happen here' scenario.  Here, the future noir elements could really be anywhere. There's not much that reflects an actual engagement or concern with how Thai or Southeast Asian culture would really examine and address the issues being presented here. 

But I hope it serves as a further wake-up call for what can and must be done in science fiction around the world if we are to create a diverse environment where everyone's stories might be enjoyed on their own terms.

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