Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs

In our 31st episode of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs we return to the 2006 classic dystopian film, V for Vendetta, directed by the Wachowskis and based on Alan Moore's graphic novel.

We explore the film's depiction of the rise of Fascism in the form of Sutler's Norsefire party, elected and granted authoritarian powers in response to fabricated fears and manufactured bio-terrorism. We discuss the role of democracy in permitting dictatorship to take hold, and the way that citizens are culpable in allowing injustices to continue unchecked at the hands of their governments.

We...

In Episode 30, Masha and Clare are talking about the mysterious and important show that is Severance. 

While not providing any answers to the many questions posed by the show's complex narrative, we do our best to unpick the ethical implications of the premise: what if a brain-chip could offer the ultimate work-life balance? 

As well as discussing ideas around memory and self, we look at the way Severance parodies and amplifies the worst of workplace existence and corporate power. 

If you have your own theories about the mysteries in Severance, message us on Instag...

In Episode 29 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Masha and Clare are discussing the 2011 film In Time, and its concept of 'Darwinian Capitalism'. 

We look at the metaphor of 'time is money' as made literal in the film. We look at the nature of wealth disparity and how wealth redistribution functions as a step within systemic change. We discuss the ethics of Will and Sylvia's 'Robin Hood' tactics and the theme of billionaires' wealth as 'stolen' money/time. We talk about immortality and eternal youth, within a in which most must die so that so...

Masha and Clare are back with Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, and our new season kicks off with an episode on Wicked, specifically the 2024 film, with reference to the current political situation in the USA and UK.

In this episode, we discuss the eradication of the Animals as a metaphor for marginalized peoples. We explore the othering and eventual persecution of Elphaba. We look at the presentation of disability in the character of Nessarose, and metaphorically in that of Elphaba. We talk about the power of educational systems for indoctrination. And we consider how...

In Episode 27 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Masha and Clare discuss the 1976 film Logan's Run, and its themes of aging, societal control, hedonism, AI, and the nature of freedom. We draw contrasts with other depictions of the allegory of Plato's cave, the apparent rejection of 1960s culture in favour of more conservative values, and the vision of a response to ecological crisis and resource scarcity. We also chat about the futuristic aesthetic, the bizarre costuming, and the synth soundtrack, not to mention the many cats.

In this episode, Clare references this fascinating article by...

In this post-US election episode, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva are talking about the 2006 Mike Judge comedy film, Idiocracy, called by some 'a documentary' and others (ie. Masha) 'the worst film I've ever seen'.

This film imagines a future in which intelligence has been bred out of the human race, with chaotic social and political consequences. In our discussion, we critique the use of stereotypes and depiction of lower social-economic classes in terms of stupidity and hedonism, and how this might impact our discourse on Trump's election victory.

We look at the satire on a...

In our Halloween special, and 25th episode, Clare and Masha are discussing the 2000 film American Psycho and the 1991 novel by Brett Easton Ellis on which it was based.

In our analysis, we approach American Psycho as a dystopia in which Patrick Bateman represents the everyman of 1980s Wall Street, and his construction of his identity is mimetic and post-modern, just like the complex genre of the film and novel.

We discuss the allegations of that the film is misogynistic, on the one hand, and the claims for its feminism on another. We consider the place of...

In Episode 24 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva are discussing Society of the Snow [La Sociedad de la Nieve], the 2023 film dramatizing the events of the Uruguayan plane crash of 1972 and the subsequent survival of 18 victims in the Andes. We also make comparisons with the 1993 film Alive.

Our themes include surviving in inhospitable landscapes, including reliance on anthropophagy, the consumption of the flesh of the dead. We discuss the responsibilities of rescue services and the survival strategies of the individuals.

We talk about human resilience, teamwork, friendship betw...

In Episode 23 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva are discussing the 2023 film, The End We Start From, starring Jodie Comer.

Our discussion explores flooding and the climate crisis, and how prevalent these issues already are, especially in the global south, but also worsening in Europe and some parts of Britain. We talk crisis response, prevention, and the need for more beavers.

We look at the depiction of motherhood, family, and women's friendships. We talk about societal responsibility, the role of the state, and abnegating responsibility. 

Le...

In Episode 22, Clare and Masha are discussing the amazing 1997 film, Gattaca. 

In our conversation we look at the science and ethics of gene editing, including the advocacy for an update in the law to eliminate hereditary disease.

We explore the fascinating theories of genetics and the impact on us of our DNA, with particular reference to Robert Plomin's book, Blueprint, as well as passing reference to Robert Sapolsky's work on free-will.

We link this with ideas of meritocracy and social mobility, and cite ideas and statistics from Michael Sandel's books, Justice and The Tyran...

In Episode 21 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha are discussing the miniseries Last Light. 

We focus on responses to the climate crisis, the difference between eco-activism and eco-terrorism, the role of disruption and violence in social justice and driving change, and how we can bring about an end to fossil fuels.

In this episode, Masha talks about Alain de Botton on the media. Clare quotes Mikaela Loach discussing the hero narrative in climate activism and Hannah Ritchie's positive vision of change in Not the End of the World.

W...

In our 20th episode, Masha and Clare are discussing the 2019 film Joker, looking at its presentation of societal impact on mental health, its depiction of the consequences of wealth disparity, and how it reflects ableism in our society.

In this episode, we draw on some of the ideas in Daraiseh and Booker's 2020 article: 'Jokes from Underground: The Disintegration of the Bourgeois Subject and the Progress of Capitalist Modernization from Dostoevsky to Todd Phillips’s Joker'.

We critique some of the arguments in Justin Edgar's 2019 article: 'Joker makes great disability art by letting its hero bite bac...

Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs is back! Masha and Clare have returned from our summer break, and we have a new episode out for you on the tv drama Fallout (Amazon Prime). 

In this episode, we discuss depiction of post-nuclear apocalypse, and the formation of societies within this.

We talk about the Golden Rule vs immoral lawlessness, and whether trust and community can survive societal destruction.

We are especially interested in the show's depiction of war-profiteering, late capitalism, privatization of government projects, and the power of corporations.

Also do...

In Episode 18 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha are discussing the iconic and much-beloved 1998 film, The Truman Show.

In this episode we discuss the appeal of reality television and what it says about our society.

We look at how The Truman Show posits Seahaven as a 'utopia' and the price that Truman is made to pay for his so-called safe and comfortable existence, with reference to the social contract. We also consider what is 'utopian' about the constructed reality of the show.

We look at the character of...

In this episode of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha are discussing the incredible yet harrowing 1984 film, Threads, a graphic depiction of the aftermath of nuclear attack, set in Sheffield (where Masha lives!).

Content warning: violence and sexual violence; still-birth

In this episode we discuss the impacts of nuclear attack on infrastructure and human bodies, along with the history of nuclear weapons. We look at the documentary style of the film, and its human-eye view, as well as the realism and horror that the film-makers managed to achieve.

We lo...

In Episode 16 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva are discussing the mind-bending physics-filled Netflix Drama, 3 Body Problem.

In this episode, we look at the depiction of Mao's China and the Cultural Revolution, and the Chinese novel on which the show is based. We mention articles from The Guardian, New York Times, and Radio Free Asia.

We discuss the likelihood of extra-terrestrial life and communicating across the universe, including the Fermi Paradox and everything Clare knows about science from The Infinite Monkey Cage podcast.

We've done ou...

In Episode 15 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha are discussing Oscar-winning film Poor Things, which we absolutely loved.

Content Warning: suicide, sexual content, FGM

Themes in this episode include:

In th...

In Episode 14 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha are discussing The Way, a recent dystopian drama from the BBC, set in Port Talbot, Wales.

Content Warning: this episode includes reference to suicide.

In this episode, we talk about divided families and generational trauma, with particular relation to changing industrial landscapes in Britain. In particular, we discuss the theme of Welsh steel, and compare the real-life situation in Port Talbot right now. You can read more about this situation here, here, and here.

Another area we focus on is...

In Episode 13 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha are talking about the film Downsizing. Resting on the premise that people can choose to shrink to around 10cm tall as part of a project to reduce overpopulation, this odd comedy is full of themes of science fiction, environmentalism, innovation, social justice, and relationship.

In this episode, we refer to this study in our discussion of global methane emissions, and these facts and figures for our understanding of overpopulation.

In our exploration of the fictional physics of cellular shrinking, we talk abo...

In Episode 12 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha discuss the 2023 Netflix film, Leave the World Behind.

As well as themes of cyber warfare, disinformation, privilege in the apocalypse, fear, and the place of trust, we also look at how to see off a f***load of deer, and whether people are really as dreadful as one of the characters proclaims.

In this episode, we reference the interview with Robert Sapolsky on Leading, the excellent book Citizens by Jon Alexander, and Techno Feudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis.

In our eleventh episode of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha are diving into A Clockwork Orange, both the Stanley Kubrick film of 1971 and the novella by Anthony Burgess from 1962.

Content Warning: themes of sexual violence, physical violence, and suicide

In this episode, we look at multiple layers of dystopian society: the violent world where Alex and his droogs commit their ultraviolence; the police and prison system; and the Ludovico technique which claims to cure Alex of his criminal ways with negative reinforcement in the face of sex and violence.

In Episode 10 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva are discussing Netflix drama The Society. 

CW: please be aware that this episode makes reference to suicide and domestic abuse.

In its single season, this is a drama that covers all aspects of how best a society should be organized and led, without resorting to a state-of-nature post-apocalyptic scenario. Instead, The Society takes place in (possibly) a parallel-universe version of a small American town, where everyone other than the senior high-schoolers seem to have disappeared. Furthermore, there is no longe...

In Episode 9 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva are welcoming 2024 with a deep dive into Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, on its 20th anniversary.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of memory for individuals and communities, and how these are impacted by social media, fake news, and whether or not the echo-chamber effect is affecting our attitude to history.

We talk medical ethics, whistle-blowing, informed consent, and unscrupulous medical practitioners.

Focussing on Joel and Clementine's relationship, we consider the idealization of relationships in th...

In Episode 8 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva discuss The Children of Men, both the 1992 novel by PD James and the 2006 film starring Clive Owen. 

In this episode, we explore the speculative concept of both book and film, in which the human race has long since ceased to be able to have children. Each version imagines differently the consequent development of the society of the UK, its morality, its attitude to outsiders, and how people might react to such a drawn out apocalypse.

Please be aware that th...

In Episode 7 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva explore the world of the Hunger Games, through the lens of the prequel novel and latest film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Along with their discussion of the character of Coriolanus Snow and his relationships, they assess the purpose of the Hunger Games, the analysis of human nature, the role of class, post-apocalyptic authoritarianism, and why you should always carry a snake.

Clare and Masha apologize for the unavoidable lateness of this episode owing to illness. Regular listeners...

In Episode 6 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha enter the world of the Matrix, considering the themes of AI, authenticity, authoritarianism, and aesthetic. Join in and decide whether you would dare to take the red pill.

In episode 5 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, on the film Don't Look Up, Masha and Clare discuss political agendas, the state of the media, the climate crisis, and brontorocs.

In episode 4 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva discuss the depictions of society in the Barbie film, why Barbieland is a dystopia, the lens on our own society, the patriarchy, and using comedy for social commentary. Oh, and to sum up the film in Masha's words: 'feminism, innit'.

In Episode 3 on Years and Years, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva explore the frighteningly prescient view of British society offered by this amazing 2019 BBC drama.

In Episode 2 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva discuss Fight Club through the lens of satire, considering themes of gender, capitalism, consumerism, and masculine violence.

In Episode 1 of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, a Being Society podcast, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva discuss season 1 of The Last of Us and its post-apocalyptic view of a society wracked by a fungal pandemic.