Downsizing was another victim of a bad release time (Christmas) and an inaccurate trailer which made it appear to be a Comedy when it’s really a Science-Fiction Satire. Might be why many hardly remember it. I think the movie will go on to a be a cult/small audience favorite like Strange Days or Starship Troopers which are social commentary cousins.
As per the trailer, in the near future, Norwegian scientists find out how to perform cellular reduction which is coined “downsizing.” There’s already a couple macguffins in the idea, namely my immediate question, where does all the mass go? However I’ll entertain the premise. So most living creatures (mammals primarily) can be permanently reduced to 0.0364% of what they were, I think it’s their mass because the scientists say a six-foot man is shrunk down to four inches, this would be to 5.5% of one’s original height. Why do this? The obvious answer is to conserve the world’s resources which in turn would prevent the many impending and ongoing crises the human race faces.
Watching the announcement on the news is Paul, an occupational therapist in Omaha, NE. Like most Americans he’s amazed but he has to carry on with his life; a big part involves caring for his terminally ill mother. Not another thought is given to the breakthrough.
Ten years go by. Paul’s mother has passed. He’s married to Audrey. They’re getting by on their two-income household, living in the house he inherited from his parents while looking for a new home to start their family. Sadly, it just isn’t in their reach. Then they attend Paul’s high school reunion. He catches up with classmates and mentions how he had to drop out of college to care for his mother. The festivities come to a halt with the appearance of alumnus Dave Johnson, someone who underwent ‘downsizing’ with his wife Carol. Later on Dave and Paul talk privately. To Dave, being shrunk was the best thing that ever happened to him. Dave didn’t do it to save the environment, he did it because he had money problems. In addition to government incentives (no more paying Federal income taxes), your “big” money becomes a vast fortune in “small” money. So the satire element shows how America transforms a scientist’s hope to save resources into a way to save our consumer culture.
After some serious discussion, Paul and Audrey travel to New Mexico where Dave lives…Leisureland, the best of the shrunk colonies. They sit through a sales presentation and then a consultation on how to make the transition. It’s pretty tempting. Their $50,000 in assets would equal $12.5 million along with a McMansion on a 1.5 acre (equivalent) lot. Like Dave, they wouldn’t have to work anymore. They could pursue a life of leisure, learning a foreign language, taking up a sport, etc.
Paul and Audrey return to Omaha, sell off all their belongings, have a farewell party and take the plunge. Before the procedure, there’s some legal proceedings such as understanding there’s a one in 250,000 chance of dying and this cannot be reversed. As per the trailer, Paul undergoes the shrinking and when he awakens, he discovers that Audrey panicked. While they were preparing her, she realized she couldn’t leave her family, her friends and so she bailed.
Another year passes and their divorce is finalized. Paul lost pretty much all the money, resulting in him taking a job in a call center for Land’s End. What happens next, I would say you need to see.
Outside of Paul’s story about adjusting to Leisureland, I really loved how the movie entertained the political issues “downsizing” would bring up. Israel and Vietnam use the process to eliminate their enemies, the Palestinians and eco-protesters respectively. Pundits argue how the shrunk shouldn’t be allowed to vote because they contribute almost nothing to the economy. Homeland Security warns us about tiny terrorists getting into America via consumer goods. Lastly, Paul learns about Leisureland having an underclass of immigrant labor forced to live in a “giant” trailer outside the protective dome. He never realized that his possibly life of luxury still required others to suffer.
If what I’ve written about Downsizing piques your interest, see it as soon as it appears on streaming services or rent via iTunes. Alexander Payne (Sideways) and Jim Taylor (Election) took what could’ve been a cheap-joke premise and make something I felt was more thoughtful. It can be a bit heavy or a downer at times, yet to me, movies should be challenging and make you think. Otherwise, watch the endless joke-delivery shows on TV.