DOWNSIZING
It’s a small world
released OUT NOW! 2017 | 15 | Blu-ray/dVd/download Director alexander Payne Cast Matt damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig
This quirky, absurdist fable feels like something Charlie Kaufman might have cooked up in the noughties.
Fifteen years after a Swedish scientist came up with a radical solution to the problems of human overpopulation, Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife (Kristen Wiig) are just two of thousands electing to be shrunk down to five inches tall, so they can live the lifestyle of a multi-millionaire in a “small community”. Paul soon comes to regret it…
Movie miniaturisation usually pitches people into peril, but Paul, secure in the film’s miniature spin on a gated community, doesn’t end up fighting spiders or terrorised by a giant cat. This leaves plenty of space to discuss the wider implications of the high-concept – like regressive governments forcibly shrinking dissidents – so it’s surprising these aren’t explored in any great depth. With most of the film set at small level, there are also less of the contrasts of scale which make this genre so visually appealing than you might expect, though there’s the odd neat moment – like a shot of a tiny Paul signing giant legal papers which communicates his powerlessness.
Starting off blandly whitebread, the film gradually becomes stranger and more internationalist, as Damon discovers the underclass of his “perfect community”, starts a friendship/romance with a comically blunt Vietnamese activist (whose crude English is disconcerting, until you’re convinced that the film is firmly on her side), and learns that true fulfilment comes from helping others, not material wealth. It’s not exactly an earthshakingly original message, but it’s one that Alexander Payne’s film delivers with no small amount of wry sweetness.
Extras On DVD: nada. On Blu-ray: six featurettes (an hour). The pair on design/visual effects include worthwhile insights. Skip the one blowing smoke up Matt Damon’s ass (“His smile lights up the world”) unless you have a paper bag handy. Ian Berriman
A train sequence uses 3D-printed figures of crew like the DoP and effects supervisor as some of the small passengers.