Films About Utopian Society:
General Description:
Films about utopian society explore the concept of an idealized and perfect world. These films often depict a society where everything is seemingly flawless, from social harmony to technological advancements. However, they also delve into the hidden flaws and dark underbelly of these seemingly perfect societies, questioning the true nature of utopia.
“The Giver”, 2014
Director: Phillip Noyce
In a seemingly perfect utopian society, Jonas discovers the dark truth behind their seemingly idyllic existence, where emotions and memories are suppressed.
Starring: Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Odeya Rush, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgård, Taylor Swift, Cameron Monaghan, Emma Tremblay, Alexander Jillings, James Jillings, Jordan Nicholas Smal, Saige Fernandes, Renate Stuurman, Vanessa Cooke, John Whiteley, Kira Wilkinson, Meganne Young, Thabo Rametsi, Vaughn Lucas, Katharina Damm, Jaime Coue, Jefferson Mays, Coleman Lannum, Irina Miccoli, Nick Uhas;
Production year: 2014;
Genre: science fiction, thriller, drama, melodrama;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 97 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,4;
“Equilibrium”, 2002
Director: Kurt Wimmer
Set in a future society where emotions are eradicated, a government agent begins to question the cost of sacrificing individuality for the sake of peace and harmony.
Starring: Christian Bale, Taye Diggs, Angus Macfadyen, Sean Bean, Emily Watson, William Fichtner, Matthew Harbour, Emily Siewert, Sean Pertwee, Dominic Purcell, Christian Kahrmann, John Keogh, David Barrash, Dirk Martens, Maria Pia Calzone, Mike Smith, Florian Fitz, Danny Lee Clark, Francesco Cabras, Kurt Wimmer, Anatole Taubman, Brian Conley, Alexa Summer, Brian W. Cook, Mehmet Kurtuluş, David Hemmings, Klaus Schindler, Oliver Brandl, Alessio Di Silvestro, Armin Marewski, Kay Ramczyk, Wolfgang Stegemann;
Production year: 2002;
Genre: science fiction, action, thriller, drama;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 107 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,3;
More information about the film “Equilibrium” on the website imdb.com
“Gattaca”, 1997
Director: Andrew Niccol
In a genetically engineered society where DNA determines one's fate, a man with inferior genes dreams of becoming an astronaut and defying societal norms.
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, Loren Dean, Tony Shalhoub, Gore Vidal, Xander Berkeley, Jayne Brook, Elias Koteas, Blair Underwood, Maya Rudolph, William Lee Scott, Chad Christ, Ernest Borgnine, Dean Norris, Elizabeth Dennehy, Una Damon, Mason Gamble, Vincent Nielson, Clarence Graham, Carlton Bembry, Susan Jennifer Sullivan, Ken Marino, Cynthia Martells, Gabrielle Reece, Ryan Dorin, Russell Milton, George Marshall Ruge, Steve Bessen, Lindsey Ginter, Chad Baker, Brandon Ladd Burkey, Donna Cihak Hansen, Randi Cole, Daniel Griffin, David LeBell, Arnold Montey, Greg Sestero, Richard Yett;
Production year: 1997;
Genre: science fiction, drama, melodrama, detective;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 106 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,7;
More information about the film “Gattaca” on the website imdb.com
“Elysium”, 2013
Director: Neill Blomkamp
In a future Earth divided between the wealthy living on a luxurious space station and the impoverished on the ravaged planet, one man takes on a dangerous mission to bring equality to society.
Starring: Matt Damon, Alice Braga, Sharlto Copley, Jodie Foster, Wagner Moura, Emma Tremblay, Diego Luna, William Fichtner, Faran Tahir, Maxwell Perry Cotton, Valentina Giron, Brandon Auret, Josh Blacker, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Adrian Holmes, Jared Keeso, Carly Pope, Ona Grauer, Michael Shanks, Christina Cox, Terry Chen, Catherine Lough Haggquist, Cecil Humphreys, Yolanda Abbud L., Mike Mitchell, Chris Shields, Johnny Cicco, Josefina Mora, Adrian Vazquez, Derek Gilroy, Jose Moises, Iñaki Goci, Christian Vazquez, Alejandro Rae, Mario Corona, Alejandro Relmonte, Emiliano Menchaca, Francisco Aguilar, Patrick Benoit, Alexander Raymond, Tracy Waterhouse, Sofía Sisniega, Kendall Cross, Julian Christopher, Simon Leung, Robert Gauvin, Dominika Zybko, Fraser Aitcheson, Taras Kostyuk, Angelina Pratap;
Production year: 2013;
Genre: science fiction, action, thriller, drama;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 109 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,6;
More information about the film “Elysium” on the website imdb.com
“The Island”, 2005
Director: Michael Bay
Set in a seemingly perfect utopian society, two clones discover the truth about their existence and escape their controlled environment to find freedom.
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ethan Phillips, Brian Stepanek, Noa Tishby, Siobhan Flynn, Troy Blendell, Jamie McBride, Kevin McCorkle, Gary Nickens, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Richard Whiten, Max Baker, Phil Abrams, Svetlana Efremova, Katy Boyer, Randy Oglesby, Yvette Nicole Brown, Taylor Gilbert, Wendy Haines, Tim Halligan, Glenn Morshower, Michael Canavan, Jimmy Smagula, Ben Tolpin, Robert Sherman, Rich Hutchman, Gonzalo Menendez, Olivia Tracey, Ray Xifo, Mary Pat Gleason, Ashley Yegan, Whitney Dylan, Mitzi Martin, Lewis Dauber, Shelby Leverington, Don Creech, Richard V. Licata, Eamon Behrens, Alex Carter, Kevin Daniels, Grant Garrison, Kenneth Hughes, Brian Leckner, Dakota Mitchell, Marty Papazian;
Production year: 2005;
Genre: science fiction, action, thriller;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 136 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,8;
More information about the film “The Island” on the website imdb.com
“In Time”, 2011
Director: Andrew Niccol
In a future where time is the currency and people stop aging at 25, a man rebels against the system that keeps the rich immortal while the poor struggle to survive.
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Alex Pettyfer, Vincent Kartheiser, Olivia Wilde, Matt Bomer, Johnny Galecki, Collins Pennie, Ethan Peck, Yaya DaCosta, Shyloh Oostwald, Colin McGurk, Will Harris, Michael William Freeman, Jesse Lee Soffer, Aaron Perilo, Nick Lashaway, Will Peltz, Ray Santiago, Zuleyka Silver, Laura Ashley Samuels, Brendan Miller, La Monde Byrd, Paul David Story, Maximilian Osinski, Blake Sheldon, Toby Hemingway, Melissa Ordway, Abhi Sinha, Germano Sardinha, Korrina Rico, Emma Fitzpatrick, Seema Lazar, Adam Jamal Craig, Andreas Wigand, Bella Heathcote, Sasha Pivovarova, Luis Chávez, August Emerson, Cathy Baron, Kris Lemche, Sterling Sulieman, Rachel Roberts, Christiann Castellanos, Jeff Staron, Drew James, Swen Temmel, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Matt O'Leary;
Production year: 2011;
Genre: science fiction, melodrama, action;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 109 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,7;
More information about the film “In Time” on the website imdb.com
“Her”, 2013
Director: Spike Jonze
In a near-future world, a man falls in love with an advanced operating system, questioning the boundaries of human connection and the role of technology in society.
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde, Matt Letscher, Kristen Wiig, Portia Doubleday, Laura Kai Chen, Brian Cox, Lynn A. Freedman, Lisa Renee Pitts, Gabe Gomez, Artt Butler, May Lindstrom, Bill Hader, Brian Johnson, David Azar, Guy Lewis, Melanie Seacat, Pramode Kumar, Evelyn Edwards, Steve Zissis, Dane White, Nicole Grother, James Ozasky, Samantha Sarakanti, Luka Jones, Gracie Prewitt, Claudia Choi, Stéphanie Sokolinski, Wendy Leon, Lil Buck, Robert Benard, Lisa Cohen, Grant Samson, Marc Abbink, Leonard Baligaya, Joan M. Blair, Freedom Bridgewater, Kathleen Carr, Seth Carr, Hallie Marie Chaney, Glenda Chism, Lee Christian, Andy Dale, Sandra Daubert, Nico David;
Production year: 2013;
Genre: melodrama, science fiction, drama;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 126 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8;
“The Truman Show”, 1998
Director: Peter Weir
Truman Burbank's entire life is a reality show, with every aspect of his existence controlled and manipulated, making him question the true nature of his reality.
Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Ed Harris, Holland Taylor, Brian Delate, Paul Giamatti, Harry Shearer, Philip Baker Hall, Blair Slater, Peter Krause, Heidi Schanz, Ron Taylor, Don Taylor, Ted Raymond, Judy Clayton, Fritz Dominique, Angel Schmiedt, Nastassja Schmiedt, Muriel Moore, Mal Jones, Judson Vaughn, Earl Hilliard Jr., David Andrew Nash, Jim Towers, Savannah Swafford, Antoni Corone, Mario Ernesto Sánchez, John Roselius, Kade Coates, Marcia DeBonis, Sam Kitchin, Sebastian Youngblood, Dave Corey, Mark Alan Gillott, Jay Saiter, Tony Todd, Marco Rubeo, Daryl Davis, Robert Davis, R.J. Murdock, Matthew McDonough, Larry McDowell, Joseph Lucus, Logan Kirksey, Adam Tomei, Una Damon, John Pleshette, Philip Glass;
Production year: 1998;
Genre: drama, comedy;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 103 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,2;
More information about the film “The Truman Show” on the website imdb.com
“Logan's Run”, 1976
Director: Michael Anderson
In a society where everyone is killed at the age of 30 to maintain population control, a man decides to escape and find a rumored utopian society outside the city.
Starring: Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter, Roscoe Lee Browne, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Anderson Jr., Peter Ustinov, Randolph Roberts, Lara Lindsay, Gary Morgan, Michelle Stacy, Laura Hippe, David Westberg, Camilla Carr, Greg Lewis, Ashley Cox, Bill Couch, Glenn R. Wilder, Lewis Abernathy, Joe L. Blevins, Roger Borden, Greg Bransom, Paula Crist, Jody Dean, Virginia Ann Ford, Chuck Gaylord, Mitchell Gaylord, Johnny Haymer, Jessie Kirby, Greg Michaels, Bob Neill, Renie Radich, Candice Rialson, Cheryl Smith, Ron D. Thornton;
Production year: 1976;
Genre: science fiction, action, adventure;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 119 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,8;
More information about the film “Logan's Run” on the website imdb.com
“The Lobster”, 2015
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
In a dystopian future, single people are given 45 days to find a romantic partner or risk being transformed into an animal, challenging societal norms and the pursuit of love.
Starring: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman, John C. Reilly, Ariane Labed, Angeliki Papoulia, Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux, Michael Smiley, Ashley Jensen, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Anthony Dougall, Seán Duggan, Roland Ferrandi, James Finnegan, Robert Heaney, Rosanna Hoult, Jaro, Ryac, Kathy Kelly, Ewen MacIntosh, Patrick Malone, Sandra Hayden Mason, Kevin McCormack, Ishmael Moalosi, Anthony Moriarty, Garry Mountaine, Judi King Murphy, Laoise Murphy, Imelda Nagle Ryan, Nancy Onu, Matthew O'Brien, EmmaEdel O'Shea, Chris Threader, Cian Boylan, Clive Dev, Degnan Geraghty, Heidi Ellen Love, Dolores Marren, Mark McCormack, Stephen Ryan;
Production year: 2015;
Genre: drama, melodrama, thriller, science fiction;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 119 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,1;
More information about the film “The Lobster” on the website imdb.com
These films about utopian society offer thought-provoking narratives that explore the complexities of human nature, societal control, and the pursuit of a perfect world. Each film challenges our perception of what a utopia truly means and asks us to question the sacrifices required to achieve it.
In exploring the realm of utopian society films, we discover a rich tapestry of narratives that challenge our perceptions of perfection and human nature. These films often serve as cautionary tales, illustrating the delicate balance between idealism and the inherent flaws of humanity. Whether portraying the allure of seemingly flawless worlds or the darker undercurrents that lie beneath their surface, these stories invite viewers to reflect on their definitions of utopia and the moral dilemmas that accompany the pursuit of an ideal society. Ultimately, they remind us that while the quest for a better world is noble, it is fraught with complexity, urging us to consider the implications of our aspirations and the sacrifices we may be willing to make in their pursuit.
