Apropos of …. everything, here are ten dystopian films that invigorate, or numb (even more), the soul – and where to watch them.
The top ten dystopian films for 2024
Children of Men (dir. Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
‘I am your protector…[you] will be happy, healthy, confident and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion.’ – US President Donald J. Trump, 23 September 2024.
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child’s birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
Children of Men is available to watch on Paramount+.
Civil War (dir. Alex Garland, 2024)
‘They didn’t come because of me. They came because of the election. They thought the election was a rigged election, and that’s why they came’, Trump, 16 October 2024 (on the January 6 White House riot).
Set in the near future, where civil war has torn through America, the film follows a group of war journalists who hit the road and travel across the country in the hopes of capturing the most important – and most dangerous – story of the conflict.
ScreenHub: Civil War review: Alex Garland’s film will stun you
Civil War will be available to watch on Prime Video from 29 November.
Delicatessen (dir, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, 1991)
‘…they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.’ Trump, 10 September 2024.
In a post-apocalyptic world, the residents of an apartment above the butcher shop receive an occasional delicacy of meat, something that is in low supply. A young man new in town falls in love with the butcher’s daughter, which causes conflicts in her family, who need the young man for other … ‘business-related’ purposes.
Delicatessen is available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Google TV, or YouTube.
Twelve Monkeys (dir. Terry Gilliam, 1995)
‘This is a very contagious virus. It’s incredible. But it’s something that we have tremendous control over.’ Trump, 15 March 2020.
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth’s population and forced the survivors into underground communities.
But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he’s arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly, and patient Jeffrey Goines, the son of a famous virus expert, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.
Twelve Monkeys is available to watch on Binge or Paramount+
Planet of the Apes (dir. Franklin J. Schaffner, 1968)
‘To get to Mars, you have to land on the Moon, they say … Any way of going directly without landing on the Moon? Is that a possibility?’ Trump, 19 July 2019.
Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.
Planet of the Apes is available to watch on Disney+
Idiocracy (dir. Mike Judge, 2006)
‘Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV … They said nobody gets it in order, it’s actually not that easy,’ Trump, 23 July 2020.
To test its top-secret Human Hibernation Project, the Pentagon picks the most average Americans it can find – an Army private and a sex worker – and sends them to the year 2505 after a series of freak events. But when they arrive, they find a civilization so dumbed-down that they’re the smartest people around.
Idiocracy is available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV or Google TV.
Minority Report (dir. Steven Spielberg, 2002)
‘An attack on law enforcement is an attack on all Americans … I will restore law and order to our country.’ Trump, 21 July 2016.
John Anderton is a top ‘Precrime’ cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they’re committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.
Minority Report is available to watch on Stan or Binge.
The Purge (dir. James DeMonaco, 2013)
‘Now, if you had one really violent day … one rough hour, and I mean real rough. The word will get out and it will end immediately.’ Trump, 1 October 2024.
Given the country’s overcrowded prisons, the US government begins to allow 12-hour periods of time in which all illegal activity is legal. During one of these free-for-alls, a family must protect themselves from a home invasion.
The Purge is available to watch on Netflix or Paramount+.
ScreenHub: New shows streaming this week on Netflix, AMC, ABC iview, Stan, BritBox, SBS, Prime, Binge and more
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
‘Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!’ Trump, 16 July 2018.
Through a series of military and political accidents, a psychotic general – U.S. Air Force Commander Jack D Ripper – triggers an ingenious, irrevocable scheme to attack Russia’s strategic targets with nuclear bombs.
The U.S. President and Dr. Strangelove, a wheelchair-bound nuclear scientist who has bizarre ideas about man’s future, work with the Soviet premier in a desperate effort to save the world.
Dr. Strangelove is available to watch on Foxtel, or to rent and buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Under the Sun (dir. Vitaly Mansky, 2015)
‘I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!’ Trump, 3 January 2018.
Over the course of one year, this film follows the life of an ordinary Pyongyang family whose daughter was chosen to take part in Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong-il’s birthday) celebration. While North Korean government wanted a propaganda film, the director kept on filming between the scripted scenes.
The ritualised explosions of colour and joy contrast sharply with pale everyday reality, which is not particularly terrible, but rather quite surreal.
Under the Sun is not available for streaming anywhere.
