2073

"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.

This is not a film. This is not a documentary. This is a warning.

This is a quote from 2024's 2073, a dystopian docudrama that brilliantly uses news and television clips to weave a science fiction story we are already living. Imagine Facebook doom scrolling for one hour and twenty-four minutes and you have the emotional impact of this prescient movie. Unfortunately, I believe the title is as optimistic as the movie is bleak. 2028 would have been more appropriate, as we hurl toward Democracy's demise faster than the director, Asif Kapadia, could imagine.

2073 premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in the category "Out of Competition," which could not be more appropriate for Kapadia's dynamic, passionate, admirable and beautifully rendered imagining of our near future. At its heart, 2073 immerses us into a Meta-verse where humanity teeters between incredible technological advancements and deep ethical dilemmas.

Staring the frighteningly beautiful Samantha Jane Morton (Alpha from The Walking Dead), 2073 sets us in a vast metropolis that is both breathtaking and bleak, showcasing a stunning yet haunting city filled with vivid colors and dark shadows, the film maker using lighting to evoke emotions, and creating the documentary feel of this art piece. With skyscrapers towering into the clouds and streets pulsating with technological energy, each frame is meticulously designed and its this attention to detail that establishes a captivating visual language, beautifully complimenting the nearly extinct plot.

Morton is a brilliant actress, and riveting on screen, but there's only so much heavy lifting she can do in a film so obviously motivated to sway audiences to one side of the political debate. In today's polarized politics, this feels manipulative even while I silently scream "Yes, yes, yes!" It's as if the director is inside my head, capturing my dismay at today's state of affairs and my fear of what's to come.

This is a solid film. Very watchable. And at times, extraordinary in it's achievement of blurring fact and fiction. But at its core, its as shallow as the news anchors it highlights, reading from teleprompters with dead eyes and an emptiness that makes us feel as if we are reliving the news like a memory versus witnessing it in real time.

I encourage you to watch it. And I know it will change nothing.

God Bless the Americas.

The documentary parts and the fictional parts did not really link together well. Perhaps if the short running time had been extended a more involving narrative to connect the two could have been presented.

But it was well edited, with news footage included that is often censored from the mainstream media, making an uncomfortable watch for some. Whatever message you get is likely distorted by your own left/right biases, though its likely that those with right wing views will opt out after a few minutes, after all, there is much to think about here.

On the very day I watched this, the news was filled with out of control wildfires in California, mark Zuckerberg joining Elon Musk on his ' free unmoderated speech' crusade, The Trump proclaiming how he might invade Greenland, Canada, and Panama?

A few years back, crises would arise, take up all of the news, fade away, then everything back to normal. Its possible we might never see normal again?

Ok, this movie presents all the dangers growing up today, and a dystopian look into the future.

Yes, these dangers are true, and we all know that. The thing is, if we take a look at the diversified culture of today, both of these sides know these dangers already, one side supports them, and other side try to stand against them. Regardless of which side you're on, the movie brings nothing new.

If you support these actions, then you will not be asked a question about morality issues and such. If you are already against them, then you know if not all but many of these. And this time movie tells nothing against it, which can be done.

Even in dystopian comedy movies you get the sense of what's wrong and what can you do against the scenario. But this movie is weak in both aspects.

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.