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THE FUTURE

"Fear of Responsibility"

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What You Need To Know:

THE FUTURE is a quirky satire about a couple living together in Los Angeles, Sophie and Jason. They decide to care for a sick cat named Paw Paw, whom they can get at the animal shelter in a month. When informed that the cat will need special care for months or years, Jason and Sophie quit their jobs to follow their dreams. Sophie decides to create 30 days’ worth of dances on YouTube. Jason gets a job in the green movement getting donations to plant trees. Sophie becomes artistically paralyzed. Bored, she takes up with a middle-aged single father whom they met at the animal shelter. Jason continues his door-to-door sales, oblivious to Sophie’s cheating. The poor cat waits in the shelter, longing for a home.

Fear and hope in the future and their responsibility to the cat seem drive this lost couple. THE FUTURE ends on a tragic note that may upset moviegoers. Although the movie seems to indict the aimless, empty, selfish qualities in the personal lives of many younger adults, it offers no solutions. THE FUTURE also contains brief strong foul language and strong salacious content.

Content:

(PaPa, RoRo, H, B, EE, L, SS, NN, MM) Strong mixed pagan worldview with pagan elements, strong Romantic elements, humanist elements, and light moral elements that critiques modern selfishness, ennui, irresponsibility and the like but little or no inspiring solutions, plus some strong environmentalist elements promoting building trees in the city; four “f” words, one “s” word and one light profanity of “God!”; no violence; briefly depicted fornication, implied fornication, young couple lives and sleeps together, but woman goes to live with another man; rear female nudity in one scene and upper male nudity in a couple scenes; brief alcohol use; no smoking or drugs; and, woman cheats on her live-in boyfriend and goes to live with middle-aged single father and daughter, some bizarre scenes seem too cryptic, man apparently freezes time in one scene but the purpose is cryptic and bizarre, and tragedy affects a sick cat, so animal lovers and most other human beings will be disturbed.

More Detail:

THE FUTURE is a quirky indie satire about the irresponsibility of today’s younger adults. In that light, it does a few insights, but it’s rather low budget and contains some strong objectionable content.

To portray its theme, the movie focuses on a thirty-something couple living together in Los Angeles, Sophie and Jason. They commit themselves to care for a sick cat named Paw Paw, whom they can pick up at the animal shelter in a month. When informed, however, that the sick cat will need special care and may live for six months or five years, Jason and Sophie decide to quit their jobs and follow their dreams.

A frustrated dancer, Sophie decides to create 30 days’ worth of dances on YouTube. Jason decides to let fate guide him, and he soon gets a job in the green movement getting donations to plant trees.

Trouble arises when Sophie finds herself artistically paralyzed. Bored, she takes up with a middle-aged single father that she and Jason met at the animal shelter. Meanwhile, Jason gets wrapped up in his door-to-door sales, oblivious to Sophie’s cheating. All the while, the poor little cat waits in the shelter, longing for Sophie and Jason to bring it home.

Fear and hope in the future and their impending responsibility to the sick cat seem to be what drives this lost couple. In the end, the movie ends on a tragic note that may upset sensitive moviegoers. Also, although the movie tries to find some spiritual, mystical meaning in art (e.g., Sophie’s dancing) and in environmentalism (Jason’s commitment to planting trees), they turn out to be somewhat empty and silly. Whether that is the filmmaker, Writer/Director Miranda July’s, intent is hard to say.

THE FUTURE contains some foul language and a crude sex scene. The ending is somewhat depressing and open ended. The only redemptive aspect, if you can call it that, is that the ending shows the negative results that occur when people try to avoid responsibility. This serves as a kind of indictment of the aimless, empty, selfish qualities in the personal lives of many younger adults in today’s social and cultural environment. Ultimately, not even the male lead’s interest in a cause outside himself can save him. It certainly didn’t help the poor sick cat! Of course, that’s because the filmmakers and their movie don’t have a strong Christian, biblical worldview with strong Christian, biblical values. There isn’t even a scene of forgiveness or reconciliation between the lead couple.