It was interesting to see it again. It's a nightmare version of the possible future and I hope it never comes CLOSE to being true. Please see this synopsis of the movie for details of the plot if you're unfamiliar with the story (
Warning: Spoiler Alert).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_GreenBut I was struck by a small detail of the movie. And I thought it prophetic of today's political situation.
When Shirl (the young love interest of Thorn) begged Thorn to quit the police department and move out of the overcrowded city, maybe into the country, Thorn told her that the countryside was strictly forbidden and guarded, so it was impossible to go there. When Shirl asked why they were guarding the countryside, Thorn replied (paraphrasing)
"Because idiots are trying to take away everything we have". And that got me thinking.
Here they are, living in a dystopian world, New York in 2022 - the population is 40 million. There are few creature comforts. Very few have apartments. The rich live in EXTREMELY "gated communities". Real food is gone, replaced by tasteless squares of "Soylent Yellow", "Soylent Red" or "Soylent Green", provided by a GIANT, omnipotent corporation.
And still, Thorn is worried about "others trying to take my way of life away".
And then the parallels of this world and ours hit me. The Repubs are always saying things like "those Muslims hate us and our freedoms". Or "America is a shining example for the world".
And they use those rationalizations to resist ANY kind of change - and at any cost.
I just thought it interesting. Maybe it was intended by the author.