Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian’s anarchic experimental sci-fi documentary Doppelgängers³, which received its world premiere at SXSW and was nominated for Best Documentary at Frameline, had me questioning whether it was a parody at times. If the quote “microbes may have rights”, said with a completely straight face, doesn’t set your eyes rolling then welcome to an imagined future of space exploration.
As the logline puts it, “three doppelgängers meet in outer space to imagine diasporic and queer ecofeminist futures”. Essentially, we follow three women wearing identical jumpsuits as they go on a “training mission” for life in space intercut with interviews from an array of credentialed talking heads that could be straight out of a Sacha Baron Cohen film.
Hayoun-Stépanian’s interviews a vast array of experts including astronomers, a theoretical physicist, an LGBTQ+ rights activist, a political scientist, an archaeologist, an environmental designer, a horror filmmaker, and a mathematical economist. The questions that arise include: if humanity is destined to live in space, how can we form a society that doesn’t replicate the same problems here on Earth? Can we make a fairer, more humane world in the stars? When the future of space looks set to be ruled by tech oligarchs like Musk and Bezos, most of us would prefer to remain here on Earth. It’s a fair topic.
When Hayoun-Stépanian recruits her two doppelgängers, two women of similar background and passing physical appearance (after a brutal haircut), as versions of herself from different universes, you start to suspect there is more going on here. What does a future in space look like for women and artists who were each born out of attempted genocides in their own countries? What perspective do Algerian and Armenian women bring? What can we learn from the history of colonialism?
Sadly this goes nowhere. This is astrophysics for the Burning Man burnout. So if you’re not here for the interrogation of science and future sociology, what are you here for? An entertainingly bizarre feature designed to shake your brain up. And on this level Hayoun-Stépanian certainly succeeds. Doppelgängers³ is an acid trip into a more idealized future.
I can honestly say that I was never less than entertained by Doppelgängers³. Like a 3am scroll through the deeper parts of a streaming service’s catalogue, this psychedelic assault of “facts” makes for incredulously amusing viewing. If it sounds appealing, then grab an edible and have fun with it.
By Chad Armstrong
Doppelgängers³ received its Australian Premiere at the 34th annual Melbourne Queer Film Festival. MQFF34 runs November 14th – 24th, 2024. For the full lineup and to purchase tickets head to mqff.com.au. Read more about Doppelgängers³ at the film’s official website.
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