Advantageous
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jennifer Phang |
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| Music by | Timo Chen |
| Cinematography | Richard Wong |
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
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Running time
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90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Advantageous is a 2015 American drama film directed by Jennifer Phang and written by Jacqueline Kim and Jennifer Phang. The film stars Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, and Samantha Kim. The film was released exclusively to Netflix on June 23, 2015.
Set in the near future, Gwen (Jacqueline Kim) works as the face of the Center For Advanced Health And Living, selling people on cosmetic procedures. Despite her relatively affluent position in life she is working for below scale and is having difficulty sustaining the lifestyle she wants to ensure that her daughter, Jules, has a solid education and future. When she is abruptly let go from her job Gwen's optimism quickly dissolves as she realizes that the only offer she has for employment is as an egg donor as women are rapidly becoming infertile. The firing comes at a critical juncture in Gwen's life as she desperately needs money in order to ensure Jules's position at an elite school.
Desperate, Gwen reaches out to her old employers asking Fisher (James Urbaniak) to use her as one of the first subjects to transfer her consciousness into a new body allowing her to keep her old job by becoming more youthful and racially ambiguous. Fisher assures her that if she agrees to the body transfer her daughter's future will be ensured as the Center will do everything they can to ensure Jules's future and protect Gwen as the face of the company. He also warns her that the procedure is in its infancy and for a year Gwen will have to take shots to help her breathe every two hours and will face pain that won't go away. He explains that the technology isn't there yet and begs her to not agree to have the procedure done.
Before agreeing to do the procedure Gwen tries one last desperate measure. She reaches out to her cousin Lily and her husband Han (Ken Jeong) for help. Gwen and Han had an affair years ago and though Lily is forgiving of the affair her attitude changes once she learns that Gwen has a child fathered by Han. She explains to Gwen that they need more time to think about helping her especially considering the suddenness of the news, but Gwen tells her she has no time. Lily then tells Gwen that she and her husband cannot spare the money, as they have children of their own.
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