Dressed in all the vivid Willy Wonka colors of an oscillating acid trip, the wholly inspired and whip-smart class system satire "Greatland" presents two very disparate worlds in what becomes a wildly headstrong and elite piece of moviemaking from director Dana Ziyasheva.
The young Ulysses (Arman Darbo) introduces the fantastical city of Greatland, a candy-colored mecca in which the downtrodden and their gutted cityscapes are glossed over with glitter, neon, and the distracting encouragement of perpetual fun - as long as it fits the grander schemes of forces that live to assure their own indulgences. When Ulysses' soul mate is sent to Redemption Island, Ulysses leaves the veneers of Greatland to find her, and his quest soon yields the epiphanies we tend to have when we first come to realize how the other half lives.
Improbably evoking black-lit colorizations of "Dr. Strangelove," "The Wizard of Oz," and M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" in equally warped measure, "Greatland" shows us all the warts and scars respectively worn by the privileged and the distressed, and does it with a distinctness of vision only the best satirical filmmaking has conjured. - (Was this of use? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)
The young Ulysses (Arman Darbo) introduces the fantastical city of Greatland, a candy-colored mecca in which the downtrodden and their gutted cityscapes are glossed over with glitter, neon, and the distracting encouragement of perpetual fun - as long as it fits the grander schemes of forces that live to assure their own indulgences. When Ulysses' soul mate is sent to Redemption Island, Ulysses leaves the veneers of Greatland to find her, and his quest soon yields the epiphanies we tend to have when we first come to realize how the other half lives.
Improbably evoking black-lit colorizations of "Dr. Strangelove," "The Wizard of Oz," and M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" in equally warped measure, "Greatland" shows us all the warts and scars respectively worn by the privileged and the distressed, and does it with a distinctness of vision only the best satirical filmmaking has conjured. - (Was this of use? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)
