The year 2018 begins with a long-standing project that is finally released in theaters: Downsizing, Alexander Payne's seventh film, after writing for more than ten years. The director presents us with a polymorphous work, between science fiction, comedy and social drama. Another particular cocktail of the American who knows how to subtly juggle between the comic and the dramatic, while taking a realistic and thoughtful look at our society. Get ready to shrink!
Between dystopia and awareness
Downsizing is undoubtedly a film already key in Alexander Payne's filmography. Why? First, gender. Even if its father refuses to label it, the film is at the crossroads of several registers. In the middle of the magic sauce Payne, the futuristic aspect undeniably sticks a label of science fiction. But not that! We laugh, we shed a tear and above all we leave the room asking ourselves questions. That's the genius of Downsizing ! Starting from a rather absurd premise (shrinking people to fight overpopulation) Payne makes it a rather serious film, which offers solutions worthy of reflection. Many themes are evoked such as ecology in mind, the consumer society, the look at "the other who is not like us" and so on.
We find a typically Paynian hero (excuse the neologism): the quadra pommé in his life, who accumulates emotional setbacks to finally reach a social milestone. The miracle solution proposed by Scandinavian scientists brings its share of reflection. Downsizing is not only good for the planet. It is especially so for the portfolio of the person concerned, which sees its amount multiply greatly. And this is where we see the genius of this dystopia that looks at consumer society and personal enrichment by elevating them as a quasi-primary need. At the same level as the preservation of the human species on paper! Downsizing is undoubtedly the first dystopia that is not originally one. Because who says dystopia automatically says clearly authoritarian and pessimistic society. In this case, the solution comes from the mix between science and marketing. As a result, everyone is eligible. A universal story that can reach a very wide audience who will ask themselves "would I have done it too?"
The universe created by the duo Jim Taylor / Alexander Payne, is very richly illustrated on the decoration side thanks to the talents of Stefania Cella (new arrival in the Payne artistic family). Our everyday objects take on a new look when their disproportionate size is used artistically. Like Dusan (Christoph Waltz) who turns a dollar bill into a beautiful canvas on the wall of his living room. Each little accessory is clearly motivated by a background narration right out of the microwave. Payne comes as a reminder that in cinema, everything in the image serves the film (even the poles of a sleepy sound recordist).
The film gradually grew from romantic comedy to social drama. We are also carried by a story that does not borrow classic rails. The narration is well done, if you take the trouble to let yourself be carried away by the story. Paul Safranek's comico-dramatic tribulations lead him to much less light themes because Downsizing speaks of ghettoization and the two sides (especially the hidden one) of any action undertaken by man. We see that downsizing brings together different communities that use the process for polar reasons. The scenario therefore proposes several dualities, between large and small by size first. Then we focus on the little ones to see that social, moral and ecological disparities remain. Payne nuances a universe that must already be assimilated to move to the next stage.
The perfect illusion!
This seventh film is the baptism of fire for the director who had never undertaken a work massively based on visual effects before. (Editor's note: to differentiate from special effects that are made on set, ex: rain). We already approached the set earlier, the staging is really at the service of downsizing. Payne, as a good director, first wanted to privilege the performance of actor to the artifices of VFX. On the other hand, it is impossible not to salute his work, headed by James E. Price, his visual effects supervisor. A work in close collaboration with his long-time editor, Kevin Tent. Downsizing was studied well before filming by this trio in order to make a very immersive result.
Although accustomed to giving little interest to executives, the duo Phedon Papamichael (cinematographer) and Payne dares in this film. The bet is greatly greeted by a series of fairly well-motivated shots and a camera that moves happily, with a purpose, in this microcosm. In the words of the director, it became problematic to film people young and old with full-sized cameras. The mastery of the staging takes all its value in this shot at the exit of the microwave oven where midwifery waits for the last batch. The camera is more mobile than in his other films and the result is up to the expectations of some.
True to himself, Payne takes us into varied and above all real landscapes. Obviously, it all starts in his native Nebraska and the city of Omaha which has hosted all his films, except Sideways and The Descendants. The crew flew to northern Norway to film the Raftsund Strait in the arm called Trollfjord. Many Hollywood productions (especially with men and women in latex jumpsuits with / without cape) would have opted for the green background (or blue to better represent the river ….). Payne stands out from his peers by wanting to show authentic landscapes. He also claims to be a documentalist in his approach to places and settings. The Descendants is a shining example! Downsizing makes its characters and the audience travel to such different and spectacular lands, a beautiful representation of the riches of the blue planet.
The world of the little ones holds the road from A to Z. From the food to the shovel used to pick up the new batch, all the objects we use in our lives are meticulously integrated into the décor. An aspect of the narrative that the director finds essential with the one addressed soon. We saw breathtaking exteriors. Now admire the interior. Downsizing is above all a means of preserving the human species. You won't see your vodka bottles the same way when you leave. Each micro detail finds its place in the frame by combining pragmatism and humor like animated films like A Bug's Life (1001 Pattes) or Ratatouille, which focus on small individuals inhabiting the world of adults. In an animated film, everything is created electronically. Payne filmed and directed them! A kind demonstration that a good Hollywood entertainment and VFX movie can cost less than $70 million and be much deeper.
Hong Chau…… and the rest!
Her name is not on the poster and yet she is the star of the film. The performance of the Vietnamese-American actress is simply great! Her character of political refugee already announced the color from the beginning of the film. She has already appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice in (2014). A director with ingenious staging, moreover, that the editorial staff strongly recommends. Although she appears only quite late, the viewer is undeniably attached to her, until losing interest in the unfortunate Matt Damon. His interpretation is spontaneous, strong and discreet at the same time. A pleasant surprise that brings a new tone to the film, so far carried by Damon and Waltz.
The Austrian actor is also an endearing character. Who better than the braggart we know to interpret the festively consumerist aspect of downsizing? He is so great in his role that Payne's wife fell under his spell, asking for more footage with him in her husband's ear during editing. Although he treats the thorny subject in a comical tone, Dusan is a key figure in the message about the consumer society and the setbacks allowed by a fortune amassed during downsizing. In the end, each character represents one of the many nuances of the scenario in his personal motivations. In a small world, the questions remain and even take on a greater magnitude than in the world of the greats.
The cast lives up to the promise of the director who wanted to make a visual effects film that favors actors. His two allies in the world of the little ones are finally the characters who will mark the most at the end of this epic. Everyone says it and knows it deep down: the cast makes the film. Once again, Payne's keen eye was right. The small troupe acts together in a touching, funny way, always with spontaneity and accuracy. They are everybody, have no superpowers (or lightsabers) and simply touch us. Because we really believe in their story.
The birth was long (120 months) but Downsizing is a real reflection on our future. The director brings a completely wacky but nuanced solution that takes an analytical and human look at an unknown future. A bold bet to combine humor, ecology and reflection in a brand new genre for him. The film, first presented at the Mostra in August 2017, received a confident and laudatory reception. Downsizing is neither a masterpiece nor a cinematic revolution but a film with immensely precious backgrounds. An unwanted humanist dystopian pamphlet that is a pleasure to see! Like what we can combine serious and urgent themes with a comico-dramatic cocktail. A model of entertainment cinema for current and future generations!
