Sometime in the future, citizens were classified to be either
the filthy rich or the slum poor. Max, the protagonist, is one of the poorest
of the poor. He grew up on the overpopulated earth, together with his childhood
friend Frey, dreaming that one day they’ll fly to Elysium. Elysium is an
earth-orbiting space station specifically designed and manned for the privilege
of the well-made residents. Max is under parole and had to work in service. An
incident led him to reach means to survive. He made a deal with Spider with an
exchange of conditions. Eventually, Max was able to save Frey and her daughter
in the hope of bringing earth and Elysium together.
Throughout the film,
major technological advancement is the theme. Robots replaced human work:
police, parole officer, servants, etc. Their weapons were of the most advanced
features. Flying drones have accurate positioning signals. Men were noted to be
wearing exoskeletons to enforce superior strength. And my favourite – the panacea
med-bed, instant detection and healing of citizens. No down payments, personal
data fill up, and what have you.
If only the most striking part is in question, then no need
to ask more. When Max was at risk of dying due to radiation deterioration, he
accepted whatever deal he made with Spider in order to live, this includes
screwing him up an exoskeleton. That part of the movie totally shaken the peace
in me. The visuals made it seem knives were piercing Max’ body and screws were
spiraling down deep in his flesh. It is shocking to know that he could still
live after that harsh operation.
Past, present, or future, politics is still undeniably
dirty. There will always be a large gap between the marginalized and the rich.
The movie Elysium only magnified the situation but the reality is not far from
it. To add in this bizarre reality is the advancement of technology in our
lives. Technology has made a big impact on us that it is impossible to detach
from it.
