Near Future

Lili’s pick: Children of Men

Lanie’s pick: Mute

The future is unknown, but for the majority of this pandemic, the future has looked pretty damn bleak. We were hesitant to view any hardcore dystopian movies, as we’re currently living in a dystopian society, but after reading about two futuristic films with intriguing critical acclaim (one well-known, the other completely unknown) we made a game-time decision and took our chances with Children of Men and Mute. The grim narrative of Children of Men was in stark contrast to Mute’s undeniably fun storyline and colorful, vaguely Blade Runner 2049ish aesthetic, and yet both managed to uplift and excite me in the end. Mute also introduced me to the work of Duncan Jones, a director who truly knows how to make use of his cast of characters. These are both unpredictable, thrilling films, and while the tones of each could not be more different, they each offer interesting points of view, from some of our favorite daddies of Hollywood.