Mickey 17
this is my punishment. this is karma.
Bong Joon Ho has done movies on capitalism and environmentalism before so masterfully, and he wouldn’t do another without having a different angle he wanted to focus on.
For me, I felt the human and labour exploitation of capitalism more deeply in this film, which is obviously intentional because the graphic exploitation is the purpose of the clones.
It’s not just the rich have it easy, and the poor stay poor. I think Mickey 17 constantly trying to blame his suffering on his past mistakes is one of the most important thematic parts of the film. it’s also painfully relatable.
when you’re so busy being exploited by capitalism you don’t have the time to reflect and blame the system, you wonder what you did so wrong in life to suffer this way.
but there’s also 18, the contrast, the anger not just towards the system but to yourself for submitting to it and not being able to escape.
i really can’t stop thinking about so many scenes that just go on and on about the endless ways capitalism will suck everything out of you, even when you think that’s it they’ll come with more. the dinner scene really drives that point in, it’s just more and more.
and it’s not just the system or the elite few, your fellow working class peers will push you down and try to use you.
at the same time, the movie was also addressing the terrifying crisis of how these dangerous far right buffoons have been taking political power in korea, europe and the US. i’m sure ppl will easily equate the idiotic leader to trump, but it’s not just him.
the state of the world has become endlessly frustrating, the shape of evil dictators don’t look like how they used to.
what a film. Bong Joon Ho always makes me feel so much. the tone of the film didn’t have to be grim to instill a sense of sadness and helplessness within you. the comedy did a great job of capturing the absurdity of the world we live in.