Crimes of the Future 2022

At an undetermined future, significant innovations in biotechnology have led to the development of machines and analogue computers that seamlessly interact with and regulate human bodily functions, making it a commonplace reality. Alongside this, humanity has undergone several biological transformations of unknown origins. A notable change is the absence of physical pain and infectious diseases for most, which has made surgeries possible in regular settings while individuals are conscious. However, some people are experiencing more radical physiological alterations. One striking case is that of a young boy named Brecken, who possesses the extraordinary ability to consume and digest plastics as if they were food. Believing her son to be inhuman, Brecken’s mother tragically smothers him with a pillow, leaving his body to be discovered later by his father, Lang Dotrice.

In this intriguing world, we meet the acclaimed performance artist couple, Saul Tenser and Caprice. They exploit Tenser’s condition known as “accelerated evolution syndrome, which compels his body to continually generate new organs. This allows them to stage artistic performances where Tenser’s organs are removed live before an audience. The condition inflicts constant pain and severe discomfort, leaving Tenser dependent on multiple intricate biomechanical devices. His setup includes a specialized bed, a machine through which Caprice operates on him, and a chair that assists him with eating through twitching and rotating motions.

During their engagement with officials at the National Organ Registry—the government body responsible for managing the state’s limitations on human evolution—Tenser encounters the anxious bureaucrat, Timlin, who becomes enthralled by his artistic endeavors. Following a successful exhibition, she boldly proclaims that “surgery is the new sex,” a notion that resonantly reflects the sentiments of Tenser and various other characters who seem to find a sense of sexual fulfillment in these repeated surgical experiences over traditional intimacy.

A specialized police unit aims to use Tenser’s unique situation to infiltrate a radical evolutionist group. Without informing Caprice, Tenser engages with various contacts through other biological performance art events, leading him to an underground cell. Among them is the former cosmetic surgeon Nasatir, who performs a shocking procedure on Tenser, creating a zippered cavity in his abdomen. Caprice uses this unusual access point in a fervent display of intimacy, highlighting the surreal intersection of art and eroticism.

As the narrative unfolds, Tenser learns from Timlin that these evolutionists plan to adapt their systems to ingest plastics and synthetic materials, with their main sustenance consisting of a toxic purple “candy bar.” This choice controversially links back to Brecken, whose abilities undermine the government’s previous claims against human evolution. Timlin attempts to seduce Tenser, but he shyly admits he is not proficient in “the old sex.”

Eventually, Tenser is approached by Lang, who proposes that Tenser and Caprice publicly demonstrate the cell’s agenda by conducting an autopsy of Brecken, showcasing his extraordinary digestive system. After some contemplation, Tenser consents to this exhibition. With many, including Timlin and Lang, watching in anticipation, Tenser’s autopsy reveals disturbing truths as it becomes apparent that Brecken’s natural organs have been replaced surgically. Lang, devastated by the event, rushes away in tears, only to be approached outside by two agents from the corporation responsible for Tenser’s biomedical machines, who then brutally assassinate him.

The aftermath of tragedy weighs heavily on Tenser, who learns that Timlin orchestrated the replacement of Brecken’s organs to suppress deviations in human evolution from public scrutiny. Heartbroken by the deaths of Brecken and Lang, Tenser informs the police that he no longer wishes to collaborate with them, openly agreeing with the evolutionists’ perspectives.

In a poignant moment, Tenser struggles to eat in his chair. He asks Caprice for a piece of plastic, and as she records, he eats it, gazing into her camera. A tear escapes his eye, complemented by a smile as the chair finally becomes still.