Two weeks after its release [on 24 December 2021] on Netflix, Don’t Look Up has climbed into the platform’s top three ratings.
Synopsis
When Dr. Randall Mindy and his doctoral student Kate Dibiasky (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) make the frightening discovery that a huge comet is on its way to Earth and threatens to destroy it, they embark on a media tour to warn humanity of this impending catastrophe that could well wipe out the human race. The problem is that nobody believes them. In their whistleblowing journey, they will come up against misinformation, denials by journalists and politicians, and the greed of the American president (played by Meryl Streep).
A satire in disguise?
The story is presented as a comedy in which the absurdity of the situations is both comic and scary. The comical sides highlight the paradoxes and irrationality of decisions taken in the face of extraordinary and unforeseen events, which divide populations and states.
The sudden arrival of Covid-19, the many decisions taken and the current ecological situation can be likened to “this extraordinary event”. In this sense, the film does not spare us anything…
This cinematic work never ceases to underline a consumer society adrift, provoking both laughter and bitterness.
“Don’t Look Up” only denounces the behaviours we all have, but if they don’t change, what will happen to us?
If this film is only a remake of our lives, should we then question our habits (network addiction, misinformation, denial, vanity, greed and loss of a sense of the general interest… ) ?