It seems that I’m writing an inordinate number of essays about movies that I’m currently watching. And I normally don’t even watch movies because there’s never quite enough time in the day. But lately (these last few weeks) my world feels like it’s in a kind of limbo. And it’s not just that my projects feel static. Everything feels suspended. There’s something in the air, something you can feel in your gut, something you know in your bones.
I’d say it’s almost certain we’re in the calm before the storm. Like when you’re riding a roller coaster and you’ve reached the top… and you just sit there, waiting, knowing. Time slows, but you know what’s waiting just over the hump. You know the bottom is about to fall out from under you.
And so, that is the theme of today’s movie: Soylent Green. A dystopian film made in 1973 but set in the year 2022. The world has been devastated by greenhouse gases, plagued by hunger, overpopulation, global warming, massive unemployment, and a harsh divide between the haves and the have-nots.
If you can get past the comical 1973 décor, styles, and acting, I think it’s probably an accurate prophecy of what 2028 might look like. It’s hard to argue against the probability that we are headed straight for a Soylent Green future.
I mean, seriously, the writing is not only on the wall; it’s on every wall, and it’s impossible to miss. Who in their right mind could possibly think the world is headed in a good direction? Even the most staunch optimist knows we are no longer in Kansas.
Next stop: Oz.
But what is that kind of future going to look like? Probably not much different from the movie. Mass unemployment. Disease. Surveillance. Absolute authoritarian control. Food shortages. Weather anomalies. Overcrowding. Need I go on?
So, I asked my dear friend ChatGPT to give us a one-paragraph summary of the movie. And here it is:
“Soylent Green (1973) takes place in an overheated, overcrowded New York City where food and resources are critically scarce, and the masses survive on a mysterious processed product called “Soylent Green.” Detective Thorn, played by Charlton Heston, uncovers a horrifying truth: the corporation behind the miracle food is secretly recycling human bodies into the very substance feeding the world. With rising temperatures, unchecked corporate power, environmental collapse, and a widening gulf between the wealthy and everyone else, what once seemed like far-fetched sci-fi now reads like a cautionary timeline that may have been only a few years early.“
Yep. Just as I thought. We’re screwed. The parts the movie missed? AI, financial collapse, pandemics, perpetual biomedical interventions. I’m sure you could add a few things to the list yourself.
I don’t know if we’ll literally be eating one another in the form of Soylent Green in 2028, but certainly the rest of it seems pretty likely.
So what do we do now? Is there any way to change it? Prevent it from getting that bad?
Probably not. Just like that roller coaster; once you get to the top of the hill, there’s nothing you can really do about it. You just have to ride it out… screaming and wetting yourself the entire way down.
So here’s to us. Kicking, screaming, and yes, losing control of our bodily functions. But hopefully we’ll make it to the bottom, get out of the car, trembling, and go about the rest of our day. A little traumatized, perhaps… but we’re the ones who stood in line in the first place.
Join us in making the world a better place. You’ll be glad that you did.
Cheers, friends.