This one seems to be flying under the radar, but I think it’s worth checking out, but don’t watch the trailer as it kinda spoils the whole thing.
The basic premise is basically the same as that not very well done film with Justin Timberlake, In Time, but instead of time being the currency and everything, you can sell/donate your time.
You know what? I actually liked In Time. I was young, but I don’t recall anything wrong with that movie, and from what I remember the climax was really really emotional and cool… I don’t know, I might need to revisit it, but I remember I revisited it a couple of times and it was always entertaining, at least. I cared about the characters.
With Paradise, I felt like it’s just another “eye for an eye” story that I’ve seen so many times, and ultimately it was not about the concept of time as currency, but the concept of revenge, which is like… fine, okay.
Yeah, I don’t want to re-watch In Time, but I have fond memories of the movie.
The plot was simple and was conveyed effectively, which is not something you can say of many Time Travelling/ Modding films.
Wouldn’t say it’s any Eye for an eye story at all.
Ultimately both movies are a critique of capitalism, In Time is more on the nose with it, with time being the literal currency, meaning the moment you run out of “money” you literally drop dead. It’s been some time so I should probably rewatch the movie, but from what I remember the movie didn’t do a very good job at exploring those anti-capitalism themes fully.
I think Paradise does a much better job of exploring the capitalist exploitation be it criminal or “legal”.
spoiler
In time is mostly just rich people bad (which they are). Paradise also includes the other side of the story, not only are the most vulnerable exploited by the richest, also the criminal element, the illegal clinic at the end stealing years from kidnapped refugee kids.
The part about how most people are okay with “doctors doing the killing for them” I think is a good metaphor for how we deal with Climate change, lots of people are mostly okay with letting it go to shit, as in continue to participate in life as before, because the ones facing most of the consequences are the 3rd world countries.
or you can interpret it as a vegan argument if you like, most people are fine buying neatly packaged pieces of meat, most wouldn’t go and kill an animal to eat if they’d have to.
I have not seen In Time, but I do agree with you here. The selling time for money was more of a backdrop to the revenge plot of the movie.
Good set up, decent movie, but wish they would have expanded more on the life span selling.
it’s not a revenge story ala John Wick.
it’s an anti-capitalist story. or hero waking up from the system he participates in and rebelling against it (in that way it’s more of a Equillibrium).
In a way it’s also a critique of people who only realize that shit is wrong once they are personally affected by it.