Hyperland

Hyperland is more than a normal feature film, it is a dystopian television play of social relevance captured on celluloid. It is about nothing less than the power of algorithms over the assessment of human life. Realized with an incredible amount of artistic dedication it is worth watching several times. Tip for teachers: Also suitable as a basis for discussion in school lessons.

Hyperland is set in a near future, where behaviour is socially rated and everyone is constantly monitored and judged by their peers. The great thing about the film is, that while it uses the dystopian setting as a part of the plot, it never only relies on it. Rather, it uses the setting as a matter of course to drive the narrative.

Very often, near future dystopias, especially those based on the over-exaggeration of modern social media and surveillance technology trends, somehow manage to stay behind within the public discourse. Hyperland, however, manages to drive the discourse forward, not only surfing a wave but actually creating it. Hence, the film is fantastic and very much recommended.

I liked the cast and the story very much. Will the world sometime be like in hyperland? Hopefully not. So: What should we do to create a better future? The film raises questions. I have seen hyperland some weeks ago and I am still thinking about answers, we do not have, actually. Very interesting.

Finally something different than always the same boring, stereotypical end-time dystopias. Above all, the current reference - think of Zuckerberg's "Meta" plans - makes this vision so relevant. In addition to the very convincing actors, a very refreshing work visually.

What I love about Hyperland is not only the impressive images that are seen in the film and that create a world that seems very unreal and very real at the same time. It is also the variety of issues that we deal with in our own time - hate speech, sexism, misinformation and inequality amongst others - that are dealt with in the film in a way that makes us rethink what we might have thought about these issues before. The movie stands out in many ways and is definitely worth the time.