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Little Joe review: We should worry about these mind-bending plants

The plot of sci-fi movie Little Joe may sound like it plays to powerful 1990s anti-GM fears but bigger issues like human freedom may really be at stake

By Simon Ings

11 March 2020

91av. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Alice (Emily Beecham) loves the plant creations she calls her Little Joes

Mongrel Media

Film

Directed by Jessica Hausner

THEY are red, they have stalks that look like eels, and no leaves. But Karl, the boss of the laboratory – played by the unsettling David Wilmot – has his eye on them for the forthcoming flower fair. He tells visiting investors that these genetically engineered creations are “the first mood-lifting, antidepressant, happy plant”.

Ben Whishaw’s character, Chris, smirks: “You’ll love this plant like your own child.”

Chris is in love with Alice, played by Emily Beecham, who is in love…

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