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Everyone is aware of the nation of Lilliput in Jonathan Swift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, but what if everyday life was really in miniature? What decision would we make if we had the option to live smaller and yet grander? ‘Downsizing’ explores a world where over-population is being combatted by just that.
Omaha couple Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) are struggling with their tedious dead-end jobs and are desperate to make a better life for themselves. Luckily for them, there is one option available to them.
In Norway, scientists have found a way to shrink human beings down to five inches tall; that may not sound too attractive to most people, but when people start understanding that it’s the perfect solution to over-population and, indeed, to all their environmental issues, as well as being a way to make their money go a lot further, all sorts of people start opting for the lifestyle.
However, the process is irreversible which means you’ve got to be really sure about what you’re doing before you get downsized. Unfortunately for Paul, he discovers only after his own downsizing that Audrey backed out at the last moment, unable to contemplate leaving her family and friends behind. They realise they can’t have a life together and get divorced, while Paul is forced to embark on his new life as a little person completely alone.
‘Downsizing’ is a sci-fi comedy directed by the Academy Award winning Alexander Payne (‘The Descendants’, ‘Sideways’, ‘About Schmidt’), who wrote the screenplay with his frequent collaborator Jim Taylor (‘Jurassic Park III’).
It’s been in production since 2009, and has already won a National Board of Review Award for Top Films, while also being nominated for a Satellite Award and a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
‘Downsizing’ is set to be released in the US on December 22nd 2017.