Movie: Downsizing
My Rating: 3 stars
The idea for this movie was a pretty good one. What would happen if we developed the technology to shrink ourselves down permanently? There’d be a number of reasons to do it. Some people would do it for ecological reasons since they’d consume less and shrink their carbon footprint. Others might do it for financial reasons. Your money would stretch a very long way if your physical needs decreased that dramatically. And of course, there are still others who may have the procedure done to them against their will, like in the case of human trafficking or incarceration.
The story has the potential to explore the concept of the creation of a whole new class of people. By setting themselves apart, and living in their own, separate, wee community, the rest of the world would be forced to interact with these individuals completely differently. It would skew population density, affect electoral votes, raise a mountain of tax questions. There’s a lot of potential meat in this topic. I just wish the screenwriters had done a little more with it. (Or wish that the studio execs hadn’t watered down the script quite so much). Of course, I don’t know what went on behind the scenes in the making of this movie, but the final result felt very much like a compromise between making potentially troubling social statement and making the movie appeal to a broad audience. And, I’ve always held the opinion that a compromise is a lose/lose proposition. Neither party gets what they want. The film could have made some very interesting social observations or political statements. How much tax should a tiny person pay? They get the same vote, but consume far fewer resources. How much should they pay on common carriers? Should the government be allowed to make such a severe and irreversible decision about a person’s life and future? But instead, the story got diluted into a pretty insipid romance.
At least the movie got me thinking about some of these interesting issues. A good amount of the weighty questions were conspicuous in their absence. So in a way, the film did make me aware of some of these topics. I’m not too wild about many of the actors in this film. But, Christoph Waltz has a bit of a role in the movie, and he’s always a delight. And, the movie does have a few visual gags that are pretty funny. So, the film isn’t entirely without its charms. I’d say, check it out if you’re curious. You’ll find something to enjoy about the movie. But, don’t feel obliged.