Lost in Starlight's tech-based future
Lost In Starlight looked absolutely gorgeous, hands down, but one particular aspect I want to highlight specifically is the future it envisions.
The film is set in 2050, 25 years from now; one would assume this to be a future with advanced technology, rife with AI and all its related jazz. And yet, Lost In Starlight's vision is markedly different from the typical "futuristic" vibe we are used to, specially in Western films.
On the one hand we do have the hallmarks, the bright city lights, the sky dominated by holograms.
But the noise pollution seems to be the full extent of it. The city retains its modern day charm in the future. There's greenery everywhere.
Things are still stored in storage boxes.
There are small communities lingering around local shops.
And at home there's people cooking, not robots.
Technology is present and ackowledged (Jay openly makes fun of Nan-Young for connecting her bluetooth while there's vinyl) but it's mostly used in communication, or in an assistant capacity.
Technology is a supplement, not a takeover, and exists side by side with nature. This is a remarkably optimistic position to take.
In contrast, there have been a heap of Western movies that tell us otherwise. Suzanne Collins dissed AI in her latest Hunger Games installment, citing its role in the downfall of civilization. James Cameron's Avatar showed us having destroyed our own planet, attempting to inflict that same pain on another. Even the ever-loved Wall-E was set in a world where robots were the puppeteers and humans were the puppets. And multiple episodes of Love Death and Robots harp on about AI takeovers all the time.
I'm not saying this is a West vs. East thing (I don't have proper data to back it up) but the take is refreshing, and very much needed right now.
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