Two Exceptional Dystopian Thrillers

Two Exceptional Dystopian Thrillers
Adam Scott and Jen Tullock in “Severance.” Image from imdb of severance

“Severance”

Apple TV+ has joined the fierce battle among streaming services with some fine new shows. It’s the home of the feel-good shows “Ted Lasso” and “Coda” (Best Picture Oscar). Their new series, “Severance,” was created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller. I’m not sure how it will make you feel, but the strange and unnerving plot will surely seduce you and keep you guessing through all nine episodes.

A mysterious and cultish corporation known as Lumon Industries employs persons whose workplace and outside lives are “severed” by an implanted microchip. The workers, or “innies,” sit robotically at computers, dragging numbers into folders and parroting the dogma of the company and its leader.

It reminded me of a future version of L. Ron Hubbard’s Church of Scientology.

At the end of the work day, they enter their outside lives; “innies” and “outies” have no memory of their other lives. This is surely a dark and eerie premise, but the show veers unpredictably from horror to humor.

In episode one we meet Helly (Britt Lower), a new recruit who does not quite buy into the severed life. Her boss, Mark (Adam Scott), and co-worker Dylan (Zach Cherry) gradually become her allies in an uprising that becomes increasingly tense and disturbing.

Another co-worker, Irving (John Turturro), befriends Burt (Christopher Walken), who runs a neighboring department. Some casting or directing genius has placed these two fine actors into a surprising relationship.

The episodes start slowly but build rapidly into a surprising and cliffhanging conclusion, as Helly’s “outie” life is revealed. Britt Lower’s Helly is especially engaging, but all the actors are terrific. This is the kind of intelligent, well-written and -acted thriller that puts stuff like “Squid Game” to shame. Don’t miss it.

“Children of Men”

Alfonso Cuaron has directed a wide variety of acclaimed films, including the Harry Potter movie,“Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Gravity,” and the autobiographical Netflix film “Roma” (2018), which won him the Academy Award for Best Director. But his best film, in my view, is this political thriller based on the novel by P. D. James.

The movie opens with a street scene in a near-future London, where a crowd is mourning the death of the youngest person on the planet. He was 18. No babies have been born in 18 years. A world without children has led to despair, social unrest and worse. Many cities are in flames, but Britain soldiers on, crowded with unwanted refugees.

The scene shifts to the home of Jasper (Michael Caine), who sits with his friend Theo (Clive Owen) smoking pot, listening to the Beatles, and speculating about reasons for the absence of fertility. Jasper says: “I was at a dinner party where an eminent scientist was asked this question. He replied: ‘I have no idea, but this stork is delicious.’”

This is a rare light moment in this fierce and thrilling film. Theo meets with Julian (Julianne Moore), an activist who enlists his help in escorting a young black refugee named Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) to safety. Kee, it turns out, is — miracle of miracles — 8 months pregnant.

“Children of Men” is very much a director’s film, notable for its futuristic production design and long takes, especially of furious action scenes, as Theo guides Kee through refugee camps and the beginnings of civil war.

There is little letup in the darkness and intensity, but there are many heroic moments and characters, and a sense of hope in the final scene. Rent or buy on Amazon, Apple and others.

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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