The natural successor to 1984; there is even a direct quote from it near the end, “2073” reveals uncomfortable and shocking truths about the dangers of technology and the rise of the far right and racism. I am surprised by the negative reaction to it by many sections of the media; the reviews by those working for the right wing press are predictable, but many people seem to be in denial, burying their heads in the sand (and feeling threatened because the social media platforms that are a defining part of their lives come with them an inevitable manipulation and brainwashing – don’t forget the manipulation of the masses started a century ago in the United States of America if not before); most people either won’t be aware of the film or will refuse to watch it. The remarks of two people at the showing I attended (there were only around twenty people in the cinema!) proves the visceral impact the film has. One said, “We’re all doomed”; the other raised up his phone to the cinema attendants, pointed to it and said, “This is the problem”. But there is not just a visceral impact; there is also a cerebral one: facts not opinions come into play – think about what is happening on the eve of Trump’s Presidency and ask yourself – are we living in a post-truth world right now in the year 2025?
The central message I suppose (although we are all individual receivers – the film puts it that the human race is being used as a source of data streams, which is surely self-evident) is that people must stand up and see what is being done to them, and in their name. If they believe in democracy (although I do concede there is some debate as whether this is workable form of effective government so I speak of democracy in its broadest sense) they must also start making difficult decisions about their level of engagement with social media and their level of exposure to surveillance (It’s hard to escape!), advertising, the celebrity culture and those media sources that express a specific bias whilst ignoring or manipulating established facts. The ‘underground’ world of the ‘suspicious’ reminded me of the ‘society’ depicted in Dmitry Glukhovsky’s series of “Metro” books, although of course the post-apocalyptic context is different.
The film raises many questions, but it is unlikely that many people will step out of the shadows, or to put it another way their comfort zones (As already alluded to most will bury any thoughts on these questions, shrug their shoulders and ask “What can I do about it?”; others will dismiss the film as hyperbole and scaremongering when clearly it is neither. Whatever you do, please don’t live a lie: check out the facts behind the film and don’t equate sheer power, influence (the celebrity culture), opinion, bias. Gaslighting and indoctrination for the truth. One reviewer saw the film as providing a ‘warning’ and it is true that the combination of predictive science-fiction and documentary is used to illustrate a possible future for the human race. After all it is the future of our planet and our freedom to live in it that is at stake.
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