2073

I almost skipped out on this movie after taking a glance at the lackluster reviews. But then I noticed a pattern: It really felt like a lot of the reviewers didn't even give the movie a chance before tuning out.

Samantha Morton truly shines in this film - she does a great job at conveying a staggering amount of emotion with her facial expressions alone. (Her character is mute.) The story is mainly told from her POV through narration that is both nostalgic and pensively depressing.

The movie paints a prescient and chilling vision of what our future could look like in the next ~50 years, given our current trajectory. Blending real-life archival footage and stark depictions of an authoritarian future, it offers a sobering reminder of how fragile our freedoms can be.

While the movie doesn't provide much hope or a clear way to fight back against 'the machine,' I felt this was intentional. The bleakness perfectly reflects the circumstances of the characters, leaving you with a haunting sense of inevitability.

It's not a light or hopeful film, but it's one that left an impression which will stick with me for a long time.

"A woman living in a ruined Earth tries to comprehend how the world was destroyed."

And thus begins some of the greatest hits of the dark side of humanity since the 1990's. As the trailer states, this is not fiction and it is not a documentary, so what is it?! It also states that what you view is a warning and that is exactly what it is. It starts with what seems like the usual apocalyptic scenario, but it quickly becomes obvious that is not the intention of this film. The film starts off in 2073 and backtracks constantly to actual events that have occurred from then to now and it is indeed a scary, punishing thing to view. Since this frequently returns to the present, it is quite clear what the warning is about and you should be frightened as the future is perilous as I write this. This is not entertainment. It is primarily clips of real events over the past few decades, but it also has some interesting visuals for what life might look like in 2073. To say it's not pretty would be putting it mildly. Humans! As smart as we can be, as much as we learn, so many just can never stop being greedy, power hungry and violent. Sadly, it has been this way since our existence began and clearly some never learn and seemingly never will. Good luck.

Ignore this being called a "movie". It is not. It is a documentary punctuated by some illustrative fictional moments. Just keep in mind that this can be a very upsetting viewing experience.

As if we needed anything else to make us angry, divided, stressed, worried, etc, this hard slap across our faces is meant to wake us up to what is actually happening in our world...and where we are heading if we let it. No wonder the 1% want us to keep our eyes locked on our smartphones and Tik Tok.

I was not expecting this when I pressed play, but I'm glad I squirmed through it.

Be sure and stay beyond the credits, as there is an interesting hidden scene.

I need a drink...

Most dystopian tales are about a place that could never exist. They exist in the stories and draw parallels to our time or serve as metaphors for our struggles. This movie is not a documentary, but it uses documentary to explain how the future will be created by what is happening now and by what's happened in the last 2, 5, 20, and 30 years.

It doesn't offer hope or answers. Answers aren't that easy. Hope may be a fantasy. What if this is all happening and there's nothing we can do about it? Is it too late already? "If we do not act when we can will we fall off the cliff?"

Will voting change anything? Will not voting change anything? Will continuing to consume and benefit from technological comforts yield any different result than going back to a simpler life that is unconnected to information collection?

These are not equations answered in this movie. But they're questions I have because of it.

I'm sure there many people who think this film is leftist propaganda. These same people don't see how bad things are in this country and the world. They're ok with making American great again. I'm not sure we are ever going to be ok again, neither is this film.

This is not for everyone.

The atmosphere this "movie" sets up is brilliant. The downtrodden, harrowing, depressing, soul crushing vision of the future. Had it told that story in the fictional 2073 world and simply tied it to the real life events, it would have worked fine just fine.

But then it drops back into early 2000's and starts weaving real life footage of events from all over the world into its tread... and loses what was built at the start.

It becomes a documentary that's trying to present itself like in a feature film form but it ends up being neither. There isn't just one message here, there are countless, each touching on everything you'd see on some conspiracy theory You Tube video or obscure website visited by people with questionable mental faculty. Reemergence of the far left in mainstream politics, corrupt interconnected politicians, systematic disassembly of democracy, abuse of power, abuse of social media, racism, environment, and so on and so forth.

Don't get me wrong, all of the topics it touches are worthy of your attention and should be addressed, sooner rather than later. But the moment you tangle real life events with fictional narrative... the relevance of the message becomes fictional itself.

This documovie offers causes to issues, exacerbates them as a stepping stone into the fictional environment and the offers nothing in the form of a solution, just a melancholic voice over from the main character that deliberately tip toes around what it really wants to say.

Shame. Because if this had been a fictional movie or a proper documentary... I think I would have loved it.