Adam Curtis’s HyperNormalisation “wades through the culmination of forces that have driven this culture into mass uncertainty, confusion, spectacle and simulation”:
Where events keep happening that seem crazy, inexplicable and out of control — from Donald Trump to Brexit, to the War in Syria, mass immigration, extreme disparity in wealth, and increasing bomb attacks in the West — this film shows a basis to not only why these chaotic events are happening, but also why we, as well as those in power, may not understand them. We have retreated into a simplified, and often completely fake version of the world. And because it is reflected all around us, ubiquitous, we accept it as normal. This epic narrative of how we got here spans over 40 years, with an extraordinary cast of characters — the Assad dynasty, Donald Trump, Henry Kissinger, Patti Smith, early performance artists in New York, President Putin, Japanese gangsters, suicide bombers, Colonel Gaddafi and the Internet. HyperNormalisation weaves these historical narratives back together to show how today’s fake and hollow world was created and is sustained. This shows that a new kind of resistance must be imagined and actioned, as well as an unprecedented reawakening in a time where it matters like never before.
I knew he sounded familiar, Adam Curtis is the bloke who also did the Power of Nightmares:
“The film compares the rise of the neoconservative movement in the United States and the radical Islamist movement, drawing comparisons between their origins, and remarking on similarities between the two groups. More controversially, it argues that radical Islamism as a massive, sinister organisation, specifically in the form of al-Qaeda, is a myth, or noble lie, perpetuated by leaders of many countries—and particularly neoconservatives in the U.S. — in a renewed attempt to unite and inspire their people after the ultimate failure of utopian ideas.”
Part 1 Baby Its Cold Outside
Part 2 The Phantom Victory
Part 3 The Shadows In The Cave
I think Curtis (no relation) spends his life browsing the BBC archives. He used to blog really long articles with a pile of video clips from old BBC footage. His blog (and notes on this film) are here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/entries/02d9ed3c-d71b-4232-ae17-67da423b5df5