NZIFF 2025 Craccum Coverage | Orwell 2+2=5
Using the thoughts of George Orwell to explore the modern-day rise in totalitarianism
Orwell 2+2=5 merges biography with political documentary in a captivating retelling of George Orwell's perspective on authority and power. Director Raoul Peck revitalises Orwell’s perspective through dramatic readings of Orwell's own letters, essays, and books. These biographical excerpts draw parallels between Orwell’s warnings, and political events within the 20th and 21st centuries.
Peck masterfully reminds us that the totalitarianism of the past which kindled Orwell's perspective is still among us and continues to run rampant. Drawing connections between facism and contemporary technogarchs, the rise in theocracy, and the Trump-ian regime, Orwell 2+2=5 was a reminder to stay aware.
It ties concepts from Orwell’s ‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’ and showcases their modern day use. Confronting techniques used to suppress information, as we see taking place with the attempts of media outlets to hide Israel's war crimes when reporting on Palestine, or with the banning of books in the U.S. Peck draws attention to the class divide that continues to get worse and the blatant manipulation of truth by Trump and his regime.
If you are someone who stays politically aware and holds a deeper understanding of how totalitarianism operates, Orwell 2+2=5 may not feel particularly eye opening to you. However, that does not make it any less important. It serves successfully as a wake up call into the fascist realities of the world we live in to those who may not be aware, and to those who already know, it serves as a call to action. To continue to fight and to uphold your own moral compass.
Orwell 2+2=5 is a vital watch regardless of your political leanings or your personal involvement in politics. You can take 1 Hour and 59 Minutes out of your day and leave with a greater understanding of our current political climate, and an awareness of the totalitarian nature of many current world leaders. Raoul Peck will show you that it is essential to know the patterns of the past to understand the actions of the present.
