Downsizing (4½ Stars)

This is a beautiful film which almost earned a five star rating, but I had to deduct half a star for a plot weakness that I can't describe in this review. Spoilers!

In the near future a Norwegian scientist has discovered the solution to the overpopulation that is exhausting the Earth's resources. People can be shrunk to a fraction of their size, from six foot tall down to five inches. To make a real difference the whole human race has to be shrunk, but the project begins with it being done on a voluntary basis. In the film 3% of the Earth's population have already volunteered, which is already a considerable number.

There are big advantages in volunteering in the initial period which have nothing to do with saving the planet. The little people can live in luxury, because their savings go a lot further. A full sized mansion costs millions of dollars, but a miniature mansion costs less than $500.

Paul and Audrey Safranek are a young couple who decide to downsize, as the procedure is called, to escape the dull routine of their lives. The promise of great riches after being shrunk is an added perk. On the day of the downsizing they're separated into the male and female downsizing areas. Paul arrives in the little kingdom, but Audrey isn't there. She changed her mind at the last minute. Paul is now rich and alone.

Audrey files for divorce, taking most of the money Paul had saved for his new life. Now Paul is poor and alone.

Despite comedy elements this is a serious film. Maybe it has a message. I don't know. If it does, it's not a deeply significant message, it's a parable. It's the sort of plot that Spike Jonze or Charlie Kaufman might have written, but Spike Jonze would have added more of a political message while Charlie Kaufman would have made the film even weirder.  Matt Damon isn't one of my favourite actors, but he's very convincing as Paul. Christoph Waltz and Udo Kier play relatively small parts, but they're always exquisite actors who can't put a foot wrong. The Norwegian scenery in the last half hour of the film is so beautiful that I want to visit Norway as soon as I can.

Based on early prognoses "Downsizing" looks like it will have trouble making back its budget at the box office. That's a shame. It might look like an over-intellectual film on the surface, but I believe that it's a film most people would enjoy if they gave it a chance.