Starring Robert Pattinson.
Cosmopolis is about a 28 year old billionaire businessman named Eric Packer (Pattinson) who wants to get a haircut across town on the same day the President is there, and a famous rappers funeral is being held. On the drive over, Packer meets up with multiple people who are important to his company and his personal life. Each person delivers insight on business, capitalism, revolution, and life. As he gets closer to his destination, his business, his fortune, and his life all dwindle, until he ultimately meets what should be his personal demise.
Cosmopolis is an existential film. Every scene shot, every line delivered, every gesture has a meaning. It's philosophical. The script is almost spoken in riddles. It's an elaborate poem. It speaks to the people, and what it says, it screams. Packer's character represents the 1%. He's impulsive. Overly demanding. He wants that haircut across town and absolutely nothing will stand in his way, not the fact that the roads are blocked, or there are violent protests. Not even threats on his own life. He meets up with his new 'old money' wife, who speaks matter-of-factly with a very breathy voice (and appears to represent original power and reason. She admits she likes hiding in the shadows) and attempts to get her to have sex with him. Upon her refusal, he then sleeps with other women. When she calls him out on it, he never denies what he has done, only tries to twist things around. He tries to confuse. He meets with multiple advisors and employees who discuss with and inform him of what's to come when capitalism becomes too much for the 99%. They speak of uprisings. Revolutions. To quote the film, "Destroy the past. Make the future." By the end of the film, the littlest little guy has him at gunpoint, telling him of all the things he has done to get him where he is. His wife is leaving him, he has no money, his empire has fallen. He is finished.
There's a sequence on a screen outside, shown through the limousine's window at one point, that states this message: "A scepter is haunting the world. The scepter is capitalism." This film is so beautifully scripted, so wondrously acted, it's hard to write any sort of opinion on it. It's a deep film, though it is obviously for the consumers, most of them would not understand a word of it. That's what capitalism, government, poor education, and dead end jobs have given us. Human beings that cannot compute eloquently worded messages, so obviously urging us to change things. Urging them to change things. People buy into that. They believe it with an odd sense of patriotism. They are so quick to believe our government has their best interests at heart, instead of how much cash they can rake in by the end of the day. And that is what this film is about. The 1% being told of their destruction as they are destroyed. I wish I could quote this film for the rest of my life. I'd like to paint its script on every surface, shout it from the mountain tops. Pay the fuck attention, America. Watch this. Educate yourself. Don't fall with them. Rise above them.
I would recommend this film to everybody I have ever met, alive, dead, or otherwise. 10/10 because it is so important. This film is important. The book it is based on is important. It's based on a book! Read the book! Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo.
Cosmopolis currently holds a 64% critic rating and a 33% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. (Further proof that people eat what they are fed, while blindfolded and tied to a chair.)
Cosmopolis trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ZmIwteUAY
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1480656/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cosmopolis/
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