Cast: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau
Director: Alexander Payne
Genre: Science fiction comedy-drama
Synopsis: In the process of solving overpopulation and global warming, Dr JØrgen AsbjØrnsen invents "downsizing", an irreversible procedure that shrinks people to a height of five inches.
Paul and Audrey Safranek are a financially-struggling married couple in Omaha who decide to undergo the process and move to Leisureland, New Mexico, one of the most popular communities for small individuals.
The young couple is dazzled with the benefits of a new life and increased value of money, but, out of the blue, Audrey gets cold feet and leaves Paul, who has already been downsized.
Paul tries to rebuild a new life, and he meets a Vietnamese political activist, Ngoc Lan Tran, jailed and downsized against her will.
In the meantime, the Arctic methane emissions cannot be stopped, and as only three per cent of the world have chosen to downsize, the human race will become extinct in 100 years.
Review:
The film depicts today's eco-anxiety and the fear of Anthropocene extinction.
Nevertheless, the film tries to convey the message of how important it is to remain human. Ngoc Lan Tran is the perfect example of that.
Neverland doesn't exist. As simple as that. Even in the fantastic new world of Leisureland, the poor will remain poor and conduct the same life as they used to, within all the effects of the privations they're used to coping, e.g. providing healthcare, famine, etc. Thus, humanity will still face mass extinction, despite all the attempts of cutting edge technologies.
Finally, Downsizing film might represent, on its surface, the alarm of climate change, but sincerely, it's rooted in the necessity to reconnect with the emotional side that makes us, us.
The film captures the current times we're living, as the time as I write, the most important government officials from all over the world are meeting in Glasgow to finally match their rhetoric with actions.
If you're willing to decrease your carbon footprint in a way that aligns with your green aspirations, I highly recommend that you watch this film.
I assigned it three stars out of five.
info@johnsenglishclub.com
Copyright © 2022
Created with
