Equals (2016), directed by Drake Doremus

An excellent cast faces an uphill battle to achieve a coherent narrative from this slow and beautifully shot sci fi tale. In a futuristic society people are genetically modified to suppress emotions. It is never made entirely clear why, but presumably life runs smoother and more efficiently without them. Coupling and even touching is forbidden; individuals must serve conception duty. Every aspect of life is regulated and controlled; aberrations must be reported. Transgressors are considered diseased and are treated until the inevitable requirement for them to be put down. Suicide is encouraged. The genetic modification appears to be a dismal failure as those pesky emotions keep cropping up and suicides abound. Nicholas Hault and Kristen Stewart make a good fist of the star-crossed couple Silas and Nia, despite having to convey emotions almost entirely via his intense blue eyes and her intense green ones. Guy Pearce and Jacki Weaver provide solid support, but all battle with an inadequate and careless screenplay with giant plot holes. Hault and Stewart manage to make it moving nevertheless, extracting the maximum possible from thin material and looking lovely amid a gorgeous production design.