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Film Review: “LX 2048” is an In-Depth Dystopia with Strong Technological Insights and Huge Awareness of the Modern World

Written by: Adam Vaughn | September 24th, 2020

Film poster: “LX 2048”

LX 2048 (Guy Moshe, 2020) 3 out of 4 stars.

With LX 2048, the latest film from director Guy Moshe (Bunraku), we find ourselves witnessing a work of cinema that is extraordinarily timely and designed with attention to today’s social climate and technological advances and aspirations. It is a film that addresses a dystopian world where these relevant pieces of technology and social issues – Virtual Reality (VR), the discovery and advances in cloning, climate change – are not only addressed, but depicted in such a way that makes the viewer think of what is to come in the near future.

LX 2048 tells the story of Adam Bird (James D’Arcy, Dunkirk), a man who lives in a society where the average person is completely logged in and hooked up to virtual reality for almost all forms of human interaction, set against the backdrop of a world where it is too dangerous to step out into the sunlight for fear of the sun’s now-deadly rays. Adam, whose heart is failing and with limited time to live, finds himself reluctant to conform to the technology-obsessed reality that, when he dies, he can be replicated by an exact clone of his former self, who will live on in his place.

James D’Arcy in LX 2048 ©Quiver Distribution

The film does a tremendous job of bringing to light the psychological and physical repercussions of being enveloped in a world where humans cannot live outside, and in many ways choose not to spend their waking moments in daylight. D’Arcy’s performance as a man lost in time calls for a sympathetic view, a resistance to the concept of being “replicated,” which he prefers to see as being replaced. Overall, LX 2048 paints an exquisite image of our modern world’s marvelous discoveries, and how they can benefit human beings, all the while destroying their individualism and warping the social skills we take for granted.

Aesthetically, the film contains several interesting details about how our technological devices  and stylistic nuances will change in the near future. Ironically, Adam’s total downfall is his adherence to what the film defines as old technology, which would still be a tremendous (and almost scary) leap in advancement from what we have today. While LX 2048 eventually narrows its vision towards the conclusion of the film (and not for the better, but in a bland, trite, and somewhat confusing ending), by focusing solely on Adam’s own outcome, overall the film is a visually fascinating journey into a world in which we, as human beings, may soon find ourselves enveloped.

James D’Arcy in LX 2048 ©Quiver Distribution
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Adam Vaughn is a graduate of the Film & Moving Image program at Stevenson University, with a focus in Cinematography and Production. He also has a minor in Theater and Media Performance. Adam works as a freelance photographer and videographer, focusing his craft on creating compelling photographic and cinematic imagery. Adam is excited to join the Film Festival Today team and explore the world of cinema and visual arts.

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