Sometimes art isn’t a stretch from reality. Remember the throwback to “Contagion” and “The Simpsons” when Covid-19 brought the world to a standstill.
But after watching Showmax’s “Brave New World”, I hope this reality only exists in the fictional world.
It’s a fascinating and disturbing watch at the same time.
The sci-fi drama is loosely based on Aldous Huxley’s novel of the same name. In this series, which is largely set in a utopian world called New England, all the citizens are grouped according to their biometrics: alphas, betas, gammas and epsilons.
Here, everyone stays connected to Indra, an artificial intelligence system, via the use of a specially designed contact lens.
In this so-called evolved community, monogamy, privacy, family and history do not exist. Nor does pain, hunger or violence.
Everyone’s mood is controlled by pills and, throughout the day, there’ a clicking clicking sound that echoes everywhere.
Sex orgies between the alphas and betas are a regular event. Life is very structured and everyone does what they are told – questioning anything either gets you cast out or reprogrammed.
When Lenina Crowne (Jessica Brown Findlay), a beta-plus technician at the Hatchery, starts displaying uncharacteristic behaviour, she is called out by Bernard Marx (Harry Lloyd), an alpha-plus counsellor.
Not long after, Bernard becomes affected by the accidental death of one of the epsilons and this lands him in hot water with the Director of Stability.
As such, he, along with Lenina, is sent to The Savage Lands to kind of regroup.
It is here where they encounter John (Alden Ehrenreich) and his mother Linda (Demi Moore) during an uprising by the “savages”, who no longer care to be used as amusement for the citizens of New England.
After barely escaping death, Bernard and Lenina return home. They are accompanied by John and his mother, who was gravely injured during the getaway.
While Bernard picks up from where they left off, Lenina is unable to fit back in.
And John’s arrival not only creates a stir with the other citizens, but his human traits of being an independent thinker and being monogamous slowly also infect the others as the hierarchy falls under the threat of growing resistance.
Aside from the consequences of blind ambition, issues of friendship, loyalty, love, jealousy, trust and respect are raised.
“Brave New World” offers an interesting conundrum of whether or not the world would be a better place if free will and emotions were removed from the equation. As I mentioned, earlier, it’s fascinating and disconcerting all the same.
“Brave New World” is streaming on Showmax.