As one of the vertically challenged, I have always felt that my size has been an advantage in life (for the most part). In fact, I often refer to myself as “fun-sized” and have never lacked self-esteem because of this. Actually I like small things better, and let’s be honest, most people do. We like babies and puppies, and think things like baby shoes are cuter than normal-sized shoes, because bigger is not better. Small is king!
We recently watched a movie called Downsizing. Released in 2017, it was a comedy about a society where humans, and their overpopulation are killing the world and if scientists don’t find a way to stop it, the earth will die (hmmm). Well a group of New Zealand scientists finally think they have found a solution. They find a way to shrink people so that they take up less space.
The effects of this scientific breakthrough are, ironically, enormous! Most of all, people who choose to downsize have a huge effect on the economy because the cost of living as a tiny person only a couple of inches tall is much less than to live as a full-sized human.
The movie follows the story of a man named Paul played by Ben Affleck who, after having many financial hardships, decide to downsize with his wife and leave the normal-sized human world behind for a luxurious tiny world.
Paul’s transition into tiny life is not easy, and he encounters several setbacks, but ultimately he finds out who he truly is through his experience of being tiny and what he has to offer the world no matter how big or small he is.
The movie got lots of negative feedback. I guess people were expecting more either from the comedy side of things or from the social warrior aspect of it. I personally like a movie that has subtle humor and a message that pushes through, but isn’t so strong I feel like I’m at a political debate. I like to enjoy the entertainment of my movie experience. Not everything has to be a political diatribe. I did kind of think the movie was going to go a certain route and then it completely changed. I assumed everything wouldn’t be absolutely perfect in the new tiny world, because nothing in life ever is, regardless of how tall you are. However, they took it in a completely different direction which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I think they were pretty honest about how things would go, and did not cater to a fantasy world or an overly dramatic world.
The subject matter of the movie really got me thinking about whether I would go tiny if I had the choice. I always wanted to live in a tiny house and have a better impact on the world around me, I think I would totally be OK with downsizing, especially with the financial gains I would make from doing it. It is almost a no brainer. Not sure Jason was convinced, so I would have to talk him into it, but I am sure I could find a way to persuade him.
Interested in this movie? Check out the trailer!
Would you downsize? Why or why not?
A Day in the Life 