Reviewing ”Downsizing”: An interesting but flawed look at social issues and environmentalism through a tiny lens
Downsizing is a science fiction drama starring Matt Damon, Hong Chau, and Christoph Waltz. The film centers on the fictional concept of downsizing: using experimental techniques to shrink a human down to 5 inches tall. Starring Matt Damon as everyman Paul Safranek, Hong Chau as downsized Vietnamese activist Ngoc Lan Tran, and Christoph Waltz as Dusan Mirkovic, a well-connected downsized businessman, the film explores social issues in the context of the world of the shrunken-down people, such as poverty, discrimination, wealth disparity, and immigration rights. The plot revolves around Paul and his experiences after downsizing. Paul and his wife Audrey decide to downsize to make the most of their meager savings, since downsized people are able to get more value for their money. Audrey ultimately abandons Paul and refuses to go through with downsizing, which Paul only finds out after the fact. This leads Paul to try to make a new life for himself in Leisureland, a city for the downs...