Technocalyps in Cinema: Saadat Hasan Manto said, “If you cannot bear these stories then society is unbearable.” Art has always been a reflection of the real world. With visual mediums like cinema, it takes the shape of a stark display of the realities of social life. In the contemporary time that lives, breathes, and obsesses over technology and social networking sites, filmmakers from around the world have tried to alight the celluloid with stories delving into the world of technology, its advancement, and exploring the sinister side of human interaction with it. This article recommends the cinema enthusiasts some series and movies dealing with the same.
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandals
Dating apps are a common phenomenon for people seeking companionship online. Notorious as a promoter of hookup culture, dating apps serve a multitude of people, single, curious, engaged, and married.
In the latest Netflix documentary, director Toby Paton bares the scandalous breach of data of private users of a marriage infidelity app called ‘Ashley Madison’. The app allowed married individuals to have hookup prospects. With the hacking of the app, many marriages were shattered. The series tries to delve into the complexities of relation and institution of marriage.
Love, Sex, Aur Dhoka 2
In the anthology film series, Dibaker Banerjee has masterfully blended the themes exploring the dark side of social media, online adult games, meme culture, and the evils of the meta-verse. The movie gets into the grim reflection of transphobia, online adult content makers, scandalous reality shows, and the brewing GenZ’s frenzy in maintaining a ‘social rapport.’
Black Mirror
Technology gone astray could be an apt definition of what the viewers get to watch in this Netflix, science fiction thriller. Drawing upon the dystopian side of social media, and technology, the sci-fi urges a mirror in front of its viewers, shaking them with the extreme potential of the growing obsession with a life of ‘like, share and follow.’ The anthology series is a gripping tale captivating its viewers with thought-provoking stories, flinching them with the satire evoking paranoia.
The Social Dilemma
What would be your course of action when the creators of your favorite apps and technology face you to unveil the severe consequences of their creation? Another Netflix docu-drama, ‘The Social Dilemma’ is an attempt to move the audience face to face with “how social media is reprogramming civilization with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creation.”
Jamtara
Cyber phishing is at the heart of this series that sheds light on the rooted systemic corruption, casteism, caste politics, social institutions of hierarchies, and the condition of the unemployed youth of the country in its rural areas. You can watch all the episodes of the series on Netflix.
Her
Technology has been an assistive hand in coping with human emotions, loneliness, and the search of companionship. ‘Her’ is a one-of-a-kind film traversing the potential of meaningful human-AI relationships in the future. It leaves its viewers with poignant questions including, can a human and machine relationship get acceptance, handle intimacy and more significantly be forever?
Love, Death, + Robots
An adult animated anthology series, ‘LOVE DEATH + ROBOT’ is a sci-fi dark comedy with each episode being an unrelated short film. From the human apocalypse survived by robots and AIs to alternate universes, this series is nothing you could have expected.
Stimulating watches with a stark dip into the dark side of the internet and technology will surely keep you hooked.
