The first in the trilogy, Betaville: A Postmodern Nightmare is a tongue-in-cheek take on Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville. Wittenstein obviously knows her French New Wave as she mimics camera angles and that film's vast sense of space almost verbatim. Betaville is a chilling little story about a detective who returns to his hometown only to discover that it has been taken over by a type of fascist fashion regime.

No Such Thing as Gravity examines a futuristic society where "LaFont," a massive multinational corporation, has obtained complete control over Earth. It exiles all of the nonconsumers and those deemed "useless" to an artificial planet called Nova Terra. New York underground king Nick Zedd plays a lawyer who plots the destruction of the Earth. The film is reminiscent of many old Outer Limit episodes. It tactfully copies the series' sparse set design and appears to even sample some of the same eerie music.

The Deflowering, the last of the trilogy, examines another futuristic society where the AIDS virus has mutated to the point that humans cannot have any type of physical contact. Everyone wanders around in giant condoms deemed "safesuits." As a result, children are genetically engineered and everyone has developed an allergic reaction to pollen. The film seems to poke fun at the way society is heading toward sterility and a lack of real human contact.

Multiple Futures, though set in the future, gives an eye-opening, mind-bending critique of the direction in which our society appears to be heading. Will we win the war against overdevelopment, the proliferation of useless products eroding our standard of living and the tyranny of peer pressure brought to us at prime time? Audiences are left free to decide whether the glass is half full or half empty. To their advantage, the films are not without humor. What sets Wittenstein apart from other experimental filmmakers is the close attention she pays to detail and design. Everything appears to be woven together for a reason. Whereas other filmmakers might simply sample random pieces of an era from pop culture, Wittenstein goes all out with her Technicolor cinematography and wonderfully contrived costumes and set design.

Multiple Futures should not be missed. Those curious about the Cinema of Transgression Movement of New York can be assured that Wittenstein's work is the cream of the crop. Two screenings of the film will take place on Friday, Aug. 16 and on Sunday, Aug 18 at 8:30 p.m. The Harwood Art Center is located at 1114 7th St. at Mountain. Admission is four dollars. As a special bonus, both Wittenstien and featured actress Holly Adams will be at the screenings to answer questions. $4