Review of Downsizing (2017) by Andrewburge — 09 Aug 2018

Directed and co-written by one of the best modern filmmakers, Alexander Payne, "Downsizing" suffers, in part, from its own ambition. It attempts at being a serious environmental warning, a hypothetical splash of futurism, a social satire, screwball comedy and even surrealism (or at least is the only way I can explain some of these characters). Its initial concepts are flawless, but for all its intelligence, it delves quickly into single-minded, single-focused stupidity.

I felt slightly insulted watching this film. During the first half, it prepares you for the social puzzles and multi-layered decisions coming with deciding to undergo a medical procedure for shrinking your body to around five inches tall. Paul Safranek (Matt Damon), an occupational therapist and his wife, Audrey (Kristen Wiig) are a bit short, so hearing all the financial benefits (and the environmental benefits) of downsizing they decide to do it. It is at this point where the film completely abandons all its social ideas and becomes extremely single-focused leaving every single sub-plot in the air. It happens so quickly that it feels like a huge middle-finger.

This would not be such a big problem if the new ideas were not so unbelievably half-assed and silly. There is a methane gas from Antarctica which apparently brought the end of the world all of a sudden. Yet there is no contact with the normal sized civilization. Everything is left in the air. Overall, there is a bizarre production rush. Sure, by the end of it, there is a moral decision about the future of civilization and what-not.

Unfortunately, the personalities of the characters which were intended to be parodies of the middle-class ignorant modern man are actually carbon copies of the middle-class ignorant modern man. Basically, Paul Safranek has to be the lamest and stupidest character since Napoleon Dynamite. That is not a compliment. Not in a film with such serious themes; and I am not even going to mention Ngoc Lan Tran (Hong Chau), an ambitious refugee which I can only describe as ignorant; not to mention the slightly stereotypical portrayal of her. Everything she says is given through this broken "engrish" and you cannot take her seriously.

In the end, this is "Downsizing"'s biggest flaw. It is unbelievably confusing at showing you when it wants to be taken seriously. Still, I am going to focus on the first half...