QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM VENICE

The year is 2039. Parts of the earth are no longer habitable due to severe ecological collapse and the disregard by most countries of the Paris Agreements. This has led to a world in disarray. To combat this malaise regarding the climate and the sociopolitical chaos, a group of eco-terrorists known as :the R” instigate several attacks across the country which leads a few core members of the group to be captured and placed in an inescapable and highly illegal virtual prison known as Planet B. Within this seemingly idyllic locale of gorgeous sunshine, bright blue ocean vistas, and resort style pool, the captives are subjected to psychological torture and suffering all to break their will and reveal the names of the “R” leadership.

A young Afghan immigrant named Nour (Souheila Yacoub) steals a virtual reality headset from the military compound where she is a cleaner in order to sell it on the black market to pay human traffickers to help her escape to Canada. She discovers that the stolen headset connects her incognito to Planet B. When she explores the surroundings, she encounters and makes a connection with Julia (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a leader within “the R”. Nour witnesses the suffering of Julia and the other prisoners and, as a former journalist in her home country, becomes invested in trying to expose the operation to the public before it’s too late.

Planet B offers a gripping narrative with exceptional performances from its leads and supporting cast. Both Yacoub and Exarchopoulos excel in portraying two exhausted, though strong-willed young women fighting for a cause they believe in. The story flicks between the plight of Julia, who is just hanging on to her sanity within the confines of the VR prison and Nour who is desperately trying to flee the ever oppressive and intrusive French state. Her status as an immigrant, and therefore an “other” within society means she is subjected to inhuman treatment and harassment, but, in fact, the same abuse (if not worse) is dished out to French citizen Julia and her comrades by the authorities.

The world building that Aude Léa Rapin creates is also impressive. We witness a future on screen that has our current world imprinted upon it with just slight variations and advancements. Mostly this advancement comes in the form of surveillance tech, drones, and weaponry. In this respect the aesthetic quality resembles the dystopian urban environment of Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men (2006). A more brutal, chaotic, and mundane version of our own contemporary era. A perpetual present day in which the promised utopian future has been canceled. The one exception to the grimy urban landscape is the beautiful seaside vista seen inside the “Planet B” virtual set. It is a gorgeously surreal environment that jolts the senses. It offers a destabilising effect, not just to the viewer who suddenly gets their eyeballs blasted by light and beauty, but to those that are captives within the environment. It’s clear that these scenic destinations are long gone from the planet. Vanished by rising sea levels and polluted air. The environment, rather than a prison, might offer a sanctuary for humanity to escape the ecological collapse. A literal “planet B” to start over or at least ignore the ravages of Earth. Yet as more “R” captives arrive and the habitat adapts, the “cells” build on top of one another in a Jenga block Favela. Inside the VR set, life becomes more chaotic and unlivable.

There is a human story at the heart of Planet B that ensures viewers of the film will connect with the plight of the protagonists, yet alongside that plight the film carries a political and societal warning that needs to be heeded. The climate of our planet is severely disrupted, and the next few decades will bring changes in temperature to vast regions that will make them unlivable for a majority of people. The surge in migration will potentially lead those receiving countries to embrace more intolerance to outsiders and elect quasi-fascists to power who will promise draconian policies to deal with the crisis. This will mean erecting walls, militarising borders, and retreating into isolationism

We see the seeds of this future already planted in most Western societies and the anti-immigration rhetoric gaining traction in the mainstream media. But the rhetoric and actions won’t stop with migrants. The authoritarian state will always turn on those it deems unpatriotic, or treasonous. As we witness here. The “Planet B” experiment is used to torture French citizens. While the film may not offer a solution, it paints an unpretty, and unsettling picture of a future we are barreling towards. A future we must reject. There is no Planet B, we have this one and this one only and the capacity to change course is in our hands. Time is slim.

Planet B just premiered in the 81st Venice International Film Festival.