Rating: 7 of 10
Feelings complicate just about everything in life. So what would happen if people permanently suppressed their emotions? Everyone would function as thought-based beings motivated by logical actions and rational behaviors. The result of which would be widespread peace and harmony, right?
Synopsis: “Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult play Nia and Silas, two people who work together in a futuristic society known as “The Collective.” A seemingly utopian world, “The Collective” has ended crime and violence by genetically eliminating all human emotions. Despite this, Nia and Silas can’t help noticing a growing attraction between them, leading them to a forbidden relationship—at first tentative, but then exploding into a passionate romance. As suspicion begins to mount among their superiors, the couple will be forced to choose between going back to the safety of the lives they have always known, or risk it all to try and pull off a daring escape.” (source)
My thoughts: EQUALS presented its technologically advanced future with a sterile aesthetic rendered through a suffusion of cold hues and modernist architecture. I recall very little, if any, natural elements like trees or wildlife. Or anything lending a softness to its surroundings. Everyone and everything is controlled, evaluated, moderated. Its atmosphere was one of isolation within forced cooperation. Like most “utopian” societies, in reality, it was more of a dystopia for its inhabitants. And, while the premise isn’t groundbreaking, there was still much to think about.
But I’ll admit, for me, the reason EQUALS succeeded was Silas and Nia. Their chemistry was palpable, and both showed a lifetime’s worth of emotion without the physicality of those feelings; e.g., facial expressions or intonation. When they finally risk it all to touch, just the edge of his hand to hers, I was captivated. If I hadn’t liked Silas, who we meet first, and then Nia, the movie wouldn’t have affected me much. Their self-discovery and pursuit of an existence beyond what they’re told is right, pushed this film beyond the standard genre fare.
Highly recommended if you enjoyed movies like THE GIVER, EQUILIBRIUM, or GATTACA.
Check out EQUALS official website and trailer | on A24 Films | on IMDb | on Facebook
(Watched DVD on 10/5/2016)