''Anya'' (stylized as ''ANYA'') is a 2019

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

directed by Jacob Akira Okada and Carylanna Taylor. It features actors

Ali Ahn Alison Ahn is an American actress. Early life and education Ahn grew up in Pasadena, California. She is of Korean descent. She was involved in dance and theater at college at Yale University, where she graduated in 2003. She received her MFA i ...

, Gil Perez-Abraham, and Motell Gyn Foster. The film follows a couple struggling with infertility issues as they discover some unique genetic traits related to an immigrant group from the fictional island of Narval.

Production

''Anya'' revolves around the topics of

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

and

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

, director Carylanna Taylor has a background as an anthropologist and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

researcher Ruth McCole served as scientific consultant. The genetic lab scenes in the film were shot in the real Dr. Andreas Pfenning’s genetics lab at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

in Pittsburgh.

Synopsis

Libby desperately wants a child, but has had trouble conceiving and has suffered multiple miscarriages. Her partner Marco believes that the issues stem from him, as he is convinced that he is suffering from an ancient curse that was placed on all of the people from his island. Nevertheless, he agrees to visit a geneticist with Libby to determine the issue. They are both shocked when they discover that the reason they cannot have children is because Marco's genetics differ to the point where he can be considered a different species. Each would be able to have a baby with their own kind, but together conceiving would be practically impossible.

Cast

as Libby * Gil Perez-Abraham as Marco * Izzabella Timonera as Anya * Motell Gyn Foster as Dr. Seymour Livingston * Anthony Aguilar as Aquiles * Mary Theresa Archbold as Terry * Diego A. Arellano as Hector * Ana Maria Jomolca as Sara * Ana Kayne as Fausta * Olivia Oguma as Rika Endo *

Barbara Rosenblat Barbara Rosenblat is a British actress. She is best known as a prolific narrator of audiobooks, for which ''AudioFile'' named her a Golden Voice. She has also appeared on screen such as in the Netflix original series '' Orange Is the New Black'' ...

as Dr. Rosalind Pfenning

Critical reception

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, ''Anya'' holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . Film Inquiry called it "ambitious" and praised the chemistry between the main characters. Film Frenzy found the film "intriguing" and also noted the performances, but found the score "unnecessary and overbearing".

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first ...

said ''Anya'' is "a good conversation starter at parties" in relation to its ideas about genetics and humanity but found the story frustrating at times.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 7488288, Anya
ANYA official website
2019 films 2019 science fiction films 2010s English-language films American science fiction films 2010s American films