Glossary of Broken Dreams

'Glossary of Broken Dreams' is a colorful and imaginative film about the problems of the 21st century, but addressing them through the lens of old ideas (aka ideologies). An alternative tag line could be: "We can only shape the future if we understand the past."

The film openly promotes the idea of New Commons. This relates to network-based cooperation and localized bottom-up initiatives that often work outside of dominant markets and traditional state programs. Another world can be born out of the understanding and fostering of these notions.

The reality of a globalized world where migration, climate change, technology, capital have long surpassed any national borders is already here. We need to start getting realistic about this and seriously explore new answers. This film gives an in-depths analysis of the status quo and possible blueprint for solutions. Plus puppets. Win win.

This is actually a really unique and thought provoking documentary, it's kind of like what you might get if you had the south park or monty python boys trying to explain social and political theory. It's very off kilter in its approach, but entertainingly so, and it probably tries to fit too much into its running time, but if you have the interest and the attention span, and an open enough mind willing to hear other opinions that may or may not match your own views, this is well worth a watch.

I saw GOBD at the Vermont International Film Festival. Loved every overbearing second of it. I'd call it a braindump on stages of disappointments with persistent political ideologies. Being embedded deeply in leftist, political nerd culture, the movie tries to address topics in depth, and as the filmmaker stated in the Q&A, he couldn't have dumbed it down further. It's also a marvelous trip through film styles and packed with popcultural inside jokes. Buffer overflow! (Can't believe I'm giving a doc with a political agenda 8 stars. I've never done that before! I usually like films about animals!)

It was Mark Fisher who pointed out that capitalist reality always needs a certain level of anti-capitalism to become tolerable. This film definitely gets into your head, it tackles some of your inner beliefs, yet, of course, it cannot fundamentally change anything. Critique is its own category, its own precious thing. It simply shows us what's wrong, even gives a couple of suggestions what we could do better, but in the end, political critique is nothing more than a friendly invitation. You accept it, or you don't. Either way, after watching Glossary of Broken Dreams you will have learned a lot. What you do with your new mental tools is up to you.

I think this is a very important movie and should reach as many people as possible. self-reflective hyper-modernity at its best.