Future Shock
“Our modern technology has achieved a degree of sophistication beyond our wildest dreams. But this technology has exacted a pretty heavy price. We live in an age of anxiety, a time of stress. And with all our sophistication we are in fact, the victims of our own technological strength. We are the victims of shock … of future shock.” No, this isn’t a quote from a Huffington Post column on the Facebookization of modern communication. Nor is it pulled from an academic treatise on the phenomenologies of post-industrial existence. This statement was made by Orson Welles in the 1972 futurist documentary Future Shock, and, unlike some of the more dated elements of 1970s educational films, Future Shock remains shockingly current in verbalizing the concerns and anxieties that come along with rapid societal and technological change. (Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive)
Insights
Plot Summary
This experimental short film presents a series of surreal and allegorical vignettes exploring themes of societal decay, spiritual awakening, and the anxieties of modern existence. Through dreamlike imagery and symbolic characters, it depicts individuals grappling with alienation and the search for meaning in a fragmented world. The narrative is non-linear, focusing on visual metaphors and existential introspection.
Critical Reception
As an experimental short film, 'Future Shock' received limited theatrical distribution and its reception was largely confined to niche art-house and film festival circuits. It is often discussed in the context of Jodorowsky's larger, more polarizing body of work, appreciated for its bold visual style and uncompromising artistic vision, though its abstract nature and challenging themes can be alienating to mainstream audiences.
What Reviewers Say
- Visually striking and deeply symbolic, offering a unique, albeit challenging, cinematic experience.
- Explores profound philosophical and existential themes through a surrealist lens.
- May be too abstract and unconventional for some viewers, demanding active interpretation.
Google audience: Information on Google user reviews for this specific short film is not readily available.
Fun Fact
Although often attributed solely to Jodorowsky, "Future Shock" was also co-directed by Jean-Claude Dreyfus, with whom Jodorowsky collaborated on the script.
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