2081 (movie) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 2081 |
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|---|---|
| Directed by | Chandler Tuttle |
| Produced by | Thor Halvorssen |
| Written by | Chandler Tuttle |
| Narrated by | Patricia Clarkson |
| Starring | James Cosmo Julie Hagerty Armie Hammer |
| Music by | Lee Brooks, as performed by the Kronos Quartet and Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra |
| Release date(s) | May 29, 2009 (Premiere) January 25, 2010 (DVD) |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100,000 |
2081 is a science fiction short film set in 2081. It was shown for the first time at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 29, 2009. Chandler Tuttle wrote and directed the film. It is based on the short story "Harrison Bergeron" by author Kurt Vonnegut. There are few actors in the film. The Kronos Quartet and Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra performed thesoundtrack written by Lee Brooks.
IMDb ranks the movie in the top 10 Most Popular Short movies.
Contents
Story
2081 shows a dystopian future in America. Amendments to the Constitution give great power to a member of government called the United States Handicapper General (HG). The HG's job is to make sure everyone is equal in every way. In this satire that means putting weights on strong people and making beautiful people look ugly.
Cast
- Tammy Bruce as the United States Handicapper General
- Patricia Clarkson as the narrator
- James Cosmo as George Bergeron, Harrison's father. George's intelligence is far above normal, so he is forced to wear a handicap radio in his ear. This radio sends out a sharp noise every twenty seconds or so, to stop George from using his intelligence.
- Julie Hagerty as Hazel Bergeron, Harrison's mother. Hazel's intelligence is perfectly average without handicaps; she cannot think of anything except in short bursts.
- Armie Hammer as Harrison Bergeron. Harrison is a genius and a great athlete. He received both the heaviest physical handicaps and the most powerful mental handicaps of any citizen.
Production
2081 was produced for $100,000. It was produced in 2009.
Release
2081 was first shown at the Seattle International Film Festival in May 2009. The film was released on DVD on January 25, 2010.
Reviews
As of January 2011, RottenTomatoes.com lists no professional reviews of 2081 and a 65% user rating. The IMDB user community gave the movie a weighted average rating of 6.9 / 10.
Reviewer Robert Ring described the film as "An amazing twenty-six minutes..." and that each scene adds to the one before. He said that some people would call the film an Orwellian warning. But he thinks it is better to call it a story about how important it is to be an independent person, even if that means life is terrible. He wrote, "This is a great film."
Revolution Science Fiction magazine called the movie "stirring and dramatic". They added that the short movie moves quickly to the main point of the story and is a good version of the story.
The movie blog Filmonic compares the film to Children of Men.
