It is hard to tell you how much I love 1984 by George Orwell. It has been one of my top list recommended books I will share to fellow bookworms. I'm not solely into dystopian even though I'm feeling like living in one.
On the other hand, I love Kristen Stewart's movies (Twilight series are my least favorable, though). I heard about her upcoming film, 'Equals' would be something like 1984. Of course, I wouldn't miss it!
A friend came up with sudden notice, luckily, work was... oookay, I can tell. So a few days ago, the film started occupying my head, with the song of 'The Feeling' by Justin Bieber and Halsey also stuck in my head for days and I kept singing and singing in heart.
So, what about it?
Aside that I found Nicholas Hoult was so damn cute, I found something that has been missing for so long---the feeling, itself.
[Spoiler alert, guys]
Silas (Nicholas Hoult) is an illustrator at Atmos, set in an unknown country affected by war in previous years. At first, we will be dragged into his boring life for quite long moment. Flat yet I think the director is trying to adjust our mind into the feel of dystopian life, when everything is controlled (by The Collective) and the citizen has nothing to do but work, eat and solve same old high tech puzzles every night before bed.
This romance science fiction movie brings room models in Ikea catalogue into life. Space effective and everyone dresses in one tone with same models every day. Yeah, life can be easy this way, though.
Here.... emotion, touches, love are forbidden. The citizen work and live their lives like a machine. They call those things are symptoms of an epidemic called 'Switched On Syndrome' or simply, SOS. The Collective, the leaders, are informing about the disease quite well enough, like on train and big screen in public. It is progressing from Stage 1 to Stage 4, where the person contracted with last stage of SOS will be taken to Defective Emotion Neuropathy facility, or the DEN.As every character has empty mind and heart, we hear and feel silence from scene to scene. When Silas finally realizes that he is attracted to Nia (Kristen Stewart), you'll start to hear a melody---a plain yet stronger music score which plays a meaningful role in flat depiction... and sparks of colors between them.
After battling for what he has for Nia, he knows that Nia is giving him a clue to follow her into the bathroom where they start to explore each other, introducing themselves with feelings that caused by touches and energy from their emotional encounter. There, both of them develop deeper and complicated feelings for each other---getting into a phase called 'love' turning into the same black shadow inside the bathroom cubicle, two same equal human beings fight for their passion. To obtain this small freedom, they make effort every afterwork time to meet and talk, accepting that the two are SOS positive and embracing it.
One night, they are caught by the manager and decide to go separate ways to avoid death in DEN. Silas moves away from Atmos and gets another job. But Nia cannot take it lightly as she's drown lost and has difficulty to do her job. Then, she just appeared in Silas' apartment where they finally back together again.
When they become 'hiders' for hiding their love life, it was gotten into me, something that we've been lost or taken for granted---energy, connection and chemistry which were brought nicely in the scene. Those things make Silas and Nia much different than the other empty (read: dead soul) citizens (and me). At this point, I was reminded of what makes us human... the feeling inside us that we spark to people around us... the most basic element that makes us (feel) alive.
And yes, we are reminded that we are human, no matter what, created as a social creature where we'd always be in need of someone else. But far more than that, it is how far those feelings can take you and change you, bring you forward.
In this dystopian film, the love sparks between the two are marked by the colorful spectrum and loud pop rock sounds that vibrate the whole unspoken aspects that are considered forbidden in that sort of world. As if saying, those humane elements are actually simple yet very meaningful.
One day, The Collective announced that the cure which was said 'just around the corner' has finally been found. Of course, Nia and Silas don't want to recover. It is not death they are scared the most... but living without each other and the feeling are becoming the most fearful. The love that fills one's soul can fight against the misery of emptiness.
The ending is predictable though, with a touch of Romeo-and-Juliet-alike with a twist of hope. Both suffer and try their best to maintain their future. Dragging me into a deeper thought that love MIGHT deserve a second try if it's equal.
I went home, energized and super happy... touched by the film. As it's been a while I'm turning into someone different, and that evening I was reminded of what I need to retrieve in me in order to feel alive in a better way.
Equals makes more futuristic 1984 world more real. Something that we all need to be worry about. As things are seemed to be obvious that we're heading there. Horribly, we're turning worse than we are now. Working everyday without knowing what it is for... no purpose, no soul. Our rights to be simply human is lost and taken from us. It's just complicated.
Well, if you haven't watched the film, here's the trailer. Get the DVD if you wish =) Coz I want to get one for myself.
Anyway, just like I told you... this film has let me drowning in another manic episode where I kept being mellow. And this song tears me apart even more... That's my drama, folks!
