3 minute read
Thomas Mengel
NOTES FROM MY GAMES & FILMS REVIEW DESK
A Film Review
By Thomas Mengel
THE process of co-creating our (my wife’s and mine) own future as members of the Cohousing NL community in Portugal Cove – St. Stephens, Newfoundland, Canada has taken up most of my time over the last view weeks–including sale of our house in New Brunswick, Canada1, securing a rental home for the interim, and of course the move. In light of this, I decided to give you a first glimpse of what reviews I am currently working on but couldn’t yet finish. In terms of films, 2030 has repeatedly drawn my attention and I certainly will watch it again (and possibly again). I also keep exploring futures-oriented games on my PlayStation 4 that pique my curiosity. The Sinking City certainly makes me come back as often as I can to continue my playful adventures in the sometimes horrific ‘otherworlds’ inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.
The feature film and documentary 2030...
...is named after the futurist and transhumanist FM-2030 of Iranian American descent, who had changed his name from Fereidoun M. Esfandiary to FM-2030 in the mid 1970s to break with naming conventions and to express his belief that he would live beyond his 100th birthday in 2030. When he died of pancreatic cancer in 2000, his body was placed in Cryonic suspension. In the documentary (released 2018), filmmaker Johnny Boston, a friend of FM-2030, explores the possibilities and challenges around cryogenic freezing. Questions like “Can we live forever?” or “Should we live forever?” are being discussed between various experts and key players from FM-2030’s context. The film also includes quotes from and parts of earlier interviews with FM2030. Most importantly, the film documents Boston’s chronicle of FM-2030’s reanimation attempt in an almost thriller kind of way while also answering the question of what it might mean to be human in a world where technology has removed death as a core reality of life. The film did not (yet) get enough traction to receive any scores on the Tomatometer or from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes2 . However, if you want to know how the attempt to reanimate FM-2030 turned out or learn about the perspectives collected by film director Johnny Boston on these foundational philosophical questions, this film certainly is worthwhile watching. I purchased and watch it through Apple TV+, but it also is available at various other providers (http://www.2030thefilm.com).
The game The Sinking City...
...has been inspired by the horror and fiction writings of H.P. Lovecraft. First released by Frogwares in 2019, the game lets us experience the horrific visions of private investigator Charles W. Reed while searching for clues both for these visions and for the potential cause of the unrelenting floodings in the fictional city of Oakmont, Massachusetts. The game is set up within the context of the sci fi and horror genres and as an open-world detective game. Lovecraftian otherworldly creatures need to be
killed, sanity must be maintained (or restored), and hints and tools must be collected and appropriately deployed, mysteries need to be solved, and Oakmont has to be saved from its haunting mishaps and from final submersion in the repeated floodings. While The Sinking City4 has been nominated for “Best Action and Adventures Game” by The Independent Game Developers’ Association in 2019, the game received mostly mixed and average reviews. So far, I find it a rich mixture of sci fi and horror that often borrows from and bows its head to stories written by and concepts introduced within the works of H.P. Lovecraft. To get the most out of the game, you may want to follow my lead and (re)read a few stories by Lovecraft before embarking on the adventures of The Sinking City. I for one can’t wait to reconnect our PlayStation 4 to the TV in our new (rental) home in Newfoundland and to return to following the adventures of detective Reed as much as I can, while co-creating our own future and community dwellings in Portugal Cove (hopefully void of horrific moments but certainly implementing many aspects of futures-oriented community living).
THE AUTHOR
Thomas Mengel is Professor of Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies at the University of New Brunswick (Renaissance College), Writer, Futurist, and Games & Film Review Editor at the Human Futures magazine of the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF).
- Peter Keough (The Boston Globe) ”
NOTES: 1 https://cohousing.ca/communities/nl/cohousing-nl/; https://cohousingnl.wixsite.com/coho 2 https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/2030_2020 3 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219827/ 4 https://switchplayer.net/2019/09/24/the-sinking-city-review/
