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.

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.

As "2073" (2024 release from the UK; 84 min) opens, we are in the year 2073 in New San Francisco, "capital of the Americas". The US has become a very dystopian police state. We get to know a mute woman named Ghost, whose grandmother was disappeared years ago. At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from Oscar-winning British director Asip Kapadia ("Amy"), Here he brings a movie that is half fiction and half fact. The fictional part looks at what it might be like in the year 2073. The factual part comes in flashbacks as we see the terrible things playing in the world with authoritarians and wanna-be authoritarians (take a bow, Mr. T., you're almost there), with climate change and worse, etc. Etc. It's just that fiction and fact don't mix very well. And yes, also this: it makes for a mostly depressing viewing experience. But I will give Kapadia credit for the audacity to try. And of course he simply reflects what 's playing out in the world, and it ain't a pretty picture, that's for sure...

"2071" premiered at last year's Venice film festival. Not sure if it ever got a US theatrical release (I kinda doubt it). But I stumbled on this on Max just the other night, and decided to give it a shot. The movie is currently rated only 53% Certified Fresh, and here also I believe it is more a reflection of the movie being anything but an uplifting viewing experience, rather than being a bad movie. If you have an interest in geopolitics (both current and projected), I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

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?

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.