Scene From 'Downsizing' Anatomy of a Scene
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This movie certainly tackles on a lot of things. Financial struggles in the beginning, the monotony of every day living, leaving everything behind, experiencing a new world alone, finding out the new world isn't really what it's cracked up to be. not that it's bad but it's just like everywhere else, inequality existing anyway, new political issues when introduced with a new population, ignored environmental issues that come back to bite, deciding whether to stay or hide, having a passion reignited, falling in love, creating something for peace but having it be used as a weapon, etc.
I found Matt Damon is very good in his role. I felt his character's meandering existence after the big shock of his wife (Kristen Wiig) deciding not to downsize at the last minute. This leaves him living in a whole new existence all alone. I felt his desperation to get out of the cycle of the blah existence he was living (some call it blah, some say get over it, it's just life) and how downsizing offered him this great opportunity to restart and go on an adventure. Leisure Land sounds way too good to be true. His 150, 000. 00+ in equity translates to about over 12 million when downsized. He can live in a huge house. What's not to love? Downsizing also provides a superficial feeling that you're doing something great for the planet as people keep reinforcing. I thought the movie succeeded in making us believe that Matt Damon's character would be all in.
I really enjoyed how the movie portrayed his lost year after he's forced to live this new existence alone and ends up getting divorced. Leisure Land is just sort of there. Sure it's nice to have millions, but if everyone else you associate with also lives that life, it's nothing special. It beats starving sure, but humans have a way of never being satisfied once they reach a level of comfort. However, we soon discover that class, income inequality, and racial divides certainly do exist.
His turnaround once he meets Ngoc Lan (Hong Chau) has been seen by some as her teaching him and giving him a real new goal in life in helping those who aren't living the good life in Leisure Land. However, I did not see it that way. We've seen that his character was always a giving person who served the caretaker role, first to his mom and then to his wife. I think what Ngoc Lan exposed to him was that there are many people in need of dire help in Leisure Land and it reignited what already existed in him. She did get him out of his self-pitying existence.
This segues into another theme of Downsizing in that, maybe it was from my perspective and how I see the world, Matt Damon goes through a similar experience that many immigrants go through. He's in a new land, taken out of everything he was once familiar with, living a pretty isolated life, feels distant with his new community. I think the pre-Downsized scenes that showcased how downsizing became used as a tool that dictators and authoritative governments and other oppressors used to control dissidents and how some normal sized people started hating on those who chose to downsize because they end up being scourges of society by not paying into the economy, many of them not paying income taxes, and are seen as 1/10 of a human, etc. brings that theme home to me. It also explains why he connected with Ngoc Lan so well.
Now onto the highlight of the film, Hong Chau's performance. I'm including this long AF paragraph because I read some annoying comments about her performance and her character. She breathed real life into this movie when the movie and Matt Damon was begging for it (intentionally I believe from the filmmaker's part. At first I was worried about Ngoc Lan having a thick accent with broken English. Growing up, me and other American born Asian-Americans worked really hard to distance ourselves from people who spoke like that and were embarrassed by our family members (some of us whose parents spoke that way) who spoke that way. We also know that it's often used for laughs. However, I watched an interview with Hong Chau who says that with all these positive progressive movement to get more Asian representation, she hopes that we don't erase the existence of people like our parents or recent immigrants and that our need to speak in an acceptable way comes from our embarrassment. That really made me think about my own feelings about it and I have to agree with her. There are times at first where it does seem the accent is played for laughs, but it doesn't do so maliciously. It's more of a shock to the senses because we go through the whole movie with nobody speaking in broken English because there are hardly any immigrants to be seen until Ngoc Lan exposes them to Matt Damon. Ngoc Lan certainly is a comedic character, but we feel so much affection and realness from her that the comedy isn't derived from her accent or broken English but just her direct, and at times rude, personality. If those who watch the movie still laugh at her accent by the end of the movie, then there is nothing that can be done for those type of people.
The ending theme of the environment being destroyed by humans and humans finding a solution way too late for anything to be done to stop the extinction was a very heavy theme that I think many critics had issues with. It seemed to be another left turn after Ngoc Lan had already made the movie move in a wholly different direction than what most expected. I didn't find those turns to be bad in this movie. I actually think it made the film more poignant and thoughtful. I don't mind when a movie explores so many themes and doesn't really complete the threads. I think if filmmakers do it in a thoughtful way where they challenge the audience to really fill in the blanks and to interpret the themes and to think about what may lie ahead, then I think a film is successful. If a film fails to do that and only introduces half-baked ideas in a lazy, unthoughtful way, then I'd agree. I don't think this film did that. I think it was intended to be a parable and it certainly was that.
It also led to the film's real message. When Matt Damon at the last minute decides to not to go into the vault with that community who was going to rebuild humanity after the environment destroys humankind and instead lives life with Ngoc Lan in the real world where real people are still living (thriving and suffering and both as all humans do) no matter what may happen to them in the long-term, she essentially tells him that when faced with near certain death, it makes you want to look at things that are closest to you, that you can affect and help directly. I think Matt Damon's Paul realizing that he needed to stop finding this big, almost theoretical big mission in life because what really matters is the direct help you can give people just as you are is message we all need to hear. Through that, we can make the most change.
Date: 2020-08-15
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Comments and reviews: 9
holohulolo
This was so disappointing, I'm never bothered if it was differet than the trailer suggests, but the movie was all over the place.
The concept is the most intriguing in a long time. This had so much potential and possibilities of where it can go that I feel even if the movie was well made I might still prefer it to be TV series just so it has time to show how Matt's character process the different phases he's going through. The movie just move from one plot to another with the time lapse and when it got to the main story with the Vietnamese I could' t understand what they were trying to do.
Despite failing to deliver, I'm still glad I watched it, thinking of all the possibilities of how it could've been done, it gave me a lot to think about.
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This was so disappointing, I'm never bothered if it was differet than the trailer suggests, but the movie was all over the place.
The concept is the most intriguing in a long time. This had so much potential and possibilities of where it can go that I feel even if the movie was well made I might still prefer it to be TV series just so it has time to show how Matt's character process the different phases he's going through. The movie just move from one plot to another with the time lapse and when it got to the main story with the Vietnamese I could' t understand what they were trying to do.
Despite failing to deliver, I'm still glad I watched it, thinking of all the possibilities of how it could've been done, it gave me a lot to think about.
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Kathleen
I loved this movie!
I no longer watch movies for the, in your face CGI, or the big name stars, but for the meaning of the scenes and the words that are spoken.
The lessons movies ultimately provide, on personal and universal levels.
This movie had a host of wake up call lessons.
Just like the Tru man show movie, if you open your mind, many hidden truths can be revealed on many levels.
This is what most movies accomplish on one level or another.
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I loved this movie!
I no longer watch movies for the, in your face CGI, or the big name stars, but for the meaning of the scenes and the words that are spoken.
The lessons movies ultimately provide, on personal and universal levels.
This movie had a host of wake up call lessons.
Just like the Tru man show movie, if you open your mind, many hidden truths can be revealed on many levels.
This is what most movies accomplish on one level or another.
reply
Benny
I don't need Hollywood degenerates to preach morality to me. That is not their place, and they are even more hypocritical than even so-called organized religion. I watch movies to be entertained. This movie was entertaining, and its moralizing was barely tolerable.
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I don't need Hollywood degenerates to preach morality to me. That is not their place, and they are even more hypocritical than even so-called organized religion. I watch movies to be entertained. This movie was entertaining, and its moralizing was barely tolerable.
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D.
TOTALLY missed this one
Saw the trailer watching the Blue Ray for Aronskys film
MOTHER
Yes I thought it was great
I'm a fan of his movies and I imedietly got what was it about. meaning Mother
I guess thos film will pop up on NETFLIX
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TOTALLY missed this one
Saw the trailer watching the Blue Ray for Aronskys film
MOTHER
Yes I thought it was great
I'm a fan of his movies and I imedietly got what was it about. meaning Mother
I guess thos film will pop up on NETFLIX
reply
ScarlettM
1: 34 - does it seem wrong anyone else that Matt Damon's character doesn't even try to help Asian lady with obviously heavy bag? Where I grew up it's an unspoken rule that stronger people help weaker people carry heavy objects.
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1: 34 - does it seem wrong anyone else that Matt Damon's character doesn't even try to help Asian lady with obviously heavy bag? Where I grew up it's an unspoken rule that stronger people help weaker people carry heavy objects.
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Daniela
one of Alexander Payne's WORST movies ever. if you have to literally sit behind each viewer and EXPLAIN why its good or how you should SEE IT - then u automatically lost
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one of Alexander Payne's WORST movies ever. if you have to literally sit behind each viewer and EXPLAIN why its good or how you should SEE IT - then u automatically lost
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andy. tv
The only thing I remember about this movie is the Vietnamese lady. Really great performance probably my favorite character in a movie for all of 2017.
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The only thing I remember about this movie is the Vietnamese lady. Really great performance probably my favorite character in a movie for all of 2017.
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Cintia
It is disturbing that well over 3/4 the world wouldn't get the metaphor of this movie, even if it was explained directly to them, or put into footnotes.
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It is disturbing that well over 3/4 the world wouldn't get the metaphor of this movie, even if it was explained directly to them, or put into footnotes.
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stonernutjuice
Im so convinced my phone is listening to me. I watched this movie a couple days ago and spoke about it. Now Im getting a video about it
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Im so convinced my phone is listening to me. I watched this movie a couple days ago and spoke about it. Now Im getting a video about it
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