I wish all my readers a Happy New Year, with the hope that 2022 turns out to be somewhat better than 2021 (which was pretty bad despite our most cherished hopes). I recently watched the movie Don’t Look Up and I recommend it for a number of reasons apart from the star-studded cast. The movie is superbly self-aware and darkly funny. It is a stinging critique of the political class and the political-corporate nexus; the disdain for scientists that privileges politics & profit over the public interest. This movie is the satire we didn't know we needed
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence are astronomers warning about a catastrophic comet hurtling towards earth in the film.
Meryl Streep is POTUS, Cate Blanchett is a media personality and Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, & Himesh Patel are part of the star lineup.
The movie is a sci-fi satire where they speak about a comet. This is basically a sped-up version of the climate change disaster that current stares us in the face; which the rich and powerful refuse to do anything about.
The movie isn't just an allegory about climate change. It is also brilliant in the way it caricatures the powerful, for its tongue in cheek hat-tips to pop culture. The movie is also a commentary upon the way people cannot agree on simple facts merely because of their political beliefs.
This is Mark Rylance as Sir Peter Isherwell, tech billionaire and main contributor to a political party. His character is strangely reminiscent of a few real people we know – who lobby politicians and pay vast sums so that policies are created to favour them.
The movie also sums up the way that the political-corporate nexus promotes crony capitalism, often to the disastrous detriment of most other people on the planet.
The movie calls out our political fault lines and prejudices, including the casual sexism we see all around us but without being preachy.
The movie touches on how nepotism globally gives a leg up to the underserving via the character of Jason Orlean, Chief of Staff and the son of POTUS played superbly by Jonah Hill.
There is this running joke through the film – a question that remains tantalisingly unanswered.
The movie keeps surprising us with the number of stars it managed to line up.
This is one of the lines from Don’t Look Up, that stay with the viewer – the pace never falters, and the writing never disappoints. Watch this film on Netflix.
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