(spoiler free)
Matt Damon’s recent film roles haven’t been kind to him; not since ‘The Martian’ back in 2015 has Damon starred in a film with any particular acclaim. So after a string of disappointing roles/films for the once renowned actor could ‘Downsizing’ be the answer to his problems? Directed by Alexander Payne this new drama presents a world in which the shrinking of humans to help sustain the environment is a working option.
The premise for the film is ambitious to say the least. It’s a truly bizarre concept, showcased well by the reaction of those in the film. This premise is somewhat hard to get your head round at first, making it challenging to buy into the unfolding drama. Furthermore, the scenes integrating the shrunken humans with the still regular sized humans just seemed awkward. This presented a real barrier and may well prevent viewers from fully settling into the film. Thankfully, the second act brings with it some improvements. I’ll touch on these later however don’t get your hopes up too much as the final act is probably the worst of the film. It becomes painfully monotonous and tiresome, proving that the film is overlong. The main problem is the screenplay and how it tries to be too many different things; a drama, a comedy, a romance and a social commentary. The failure to focus in on any of these elements specifically gave the narrative a meandering feel to it and as it had no clear direction giving audiences very little to engage with.
The cast were one of the only aspects of the film to offer any type of engagement for viewers. However, this came from the supporting rather than leading performers. Damon’s character, Paul is described by another character as “pathetic” and it has to be said that nothing about him is especially likeable. Similarly to the film he’s quite dull and he isn’t an interesting focal point for the narrative. In contrast, supporting actress Hong Chau is fantastic and one of the only signs of life in this film. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance and it’s easy to see why. She’s the reason that the second act of the film is watchable as she endears the audience to her character, Ngoc. Her performance alongside that of Christoph Waltz’s brings some much needed humour to the film but even this could only sustain the story for so long before it returns to it’s aimless core. There are some entertaining cameo performances also which are a nice touch but it was going to take a lot more than this to salvage ‘Downsizing’.
Some ideas are truly better left on the drawing board, or at least in more capable hands, and I think ‘Downsizing’ is one of these occasions, The premise showed promise for an intriguing narrative full of ethical debates and drama but instead it can’t decide where it’s focus should be and in doing so looses that of the audience. It’s certainly not Damon’s return to form but if there’s anything positive to take away from the experience it’s the performance of Hong Chau. Hopefully the film’s release will help her grow her profile and bring her much more success, she deserves better than this.
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 4/10
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