By: Chris Stead

The Gene Generation is not GATTACA, Blade Runner or any other movie that you have seen. Gene hacking, dire circumstances and a dark future surround the characters in this story. With a science fiction theme and Andy LaPlegua of Combichrist working on the soundtrack, this is a recipe for a dark futuristic movie. We were fortunate enough to get a little of Pearry Reginald Teo’s time to find out what we can expect from this movie.

Gothic Angst Webzine (GA): What is The Gene Generation about?

Pearry Reginald Teo (PRT): The Gene Generation is a love story about a brother and sister trapped in a world where the government is trying to downsize the human population and in the process, creates a new crime known as DNA Hacking. It is also a lesson about how, despite the de-evolution of mankind, there is one thing they cannot conquer, love.

GA: Was the premise of the movie in some way influence by GATTACA?

PRT: No. The Gene Generation is different in the sense that it is about hacking into our body to give us the genes create the qualities we envy and admire in people and how disastrous it can be.

GA: Being that the movie concept seems to be Science Fiction, does your choice of musicians, specifically VNV Nation and Combichrist, mean that you are aiming at the Cyber-fetish/Cybergoth group as well as the Science Fiction fans?

PRT: I really wouldn’t say I’m aiming at any one particular group or science fiction fans specifically. I’m a big fan of industrial, EBM and Gothic music and so is my taste for visuals: They are influenced by the darker aspects of art. Hence, I think it’s only fitting that I use VNV and Combichrist since they reflect part of my inspiration in creating the world of The Gene Generation. I’m glad that people in this industry like my incorporation of artists within this genre.

GA: Considering your choice of music, would you consider yourself a member of the current goth/industrial movement?

PRT: That’s a hard question to answer. I enjoy this scene more than any other by far. It inspires me a lot. The people in this movement are among the most interesting ever. They have accepted me for the way I am, and I never feel like it’s a popularity contest. I can go to a club dressed up Victorian, cyber punk, or even in my PJs and never feel like I’m being judged. I can’t speak for others, but when I’m at, say a hip-hop club, I feel like everything has to be a popularity contest, which is stupid.

GA: I understand that the KMFDM/Combichrist tour has pushed the schedule back a bit. Is the score the final piece of the puzzle that you are waiting on to release the movie?

PRT: Yes it is. I’m happy with what Combichrist has done. Andy is willing to deliver the soundtrack to me early. He said he could rush it. But I would prefer to delay the release of the movie rather than feel like any artist in the movie has to make compromises because of time. I want the world to see the potential of these artists and I hope to give them the creative time and effort to utilize their full talent.

GA: Where is the premiere going to be held for the movie?

PRT: Primarily, it will be in Los Angeles and New York, but I’m hoping that there will be a release in the UK and Germany as well.

GA: It seems that this movie is set in a dystopic future. Would that be an accurate description of the mood and setting of this movie?

PRT: Yes, I have always seen the future as bleak. We are destroying ourselves. The only thing I feel that has kept us alive and allowed our species to survive this long is love. That’s why I focus on this subject. I also want people to know that there is hope. There is hope when you love someone. There is hope when someone loves you. And hey, it’s a hell of a lot of more interesting visually when you play with the idea of love in a hellish background than in some romantic comedy in France.