“Don't look up” as a mirror of Russia's state of mass media

 By Galkin Daniil

By Galkin Daniil

Don't Look Up is a 2021 American satirical sci-fi film directed, produced and co-written by Adam McKay, who has established himself as a relatable black comedy writer and satirizer of modern society: it has already portrayed a deep yet ironic analysis of the causes of financial crisis in The Big Short; and an unflattering portrait of the Bush Jr. administration in Vice.

The film, in essence, is a satire about human nature and the nature of modern American society, but its parallels work in world society as well. After the discovery of a giant comet by scientists, the situation gradually turns into a farce: the way the president behaves, what ordinary people follow when a threat of such magnitude looms, how he splits into groups and agonizes. Gradually, as you watch the film, you realize that society has deeply degraded and the only way out for it is complete destruction. As viewers, we experience a swaying of emotions, and as professional people we understand that this whole range of your emotions is caused, in essence, by already established techniques and caricatures.

The plot, the characters and the general atmosphere beg to draw parallels not only with what is happening in the world over the past few years, but also with what is happening in Russia now. Throughout the film, the painful abscess of modern society is combed very diligently and talentedly. Contrary to the title, on the contrary, we are called to look upwards in every sense, including those in power. The film, as if from all over, gives an invigorating and sobering slap in the face to those who are used to thinking that: “There are not stupid people sitting up there, they know better, they will figure it out on their own without us.”

Almost every hero of the tape is a caricature, and together they are one big model of a society that has taken a wrong turn somewhere. The director's attention is almost completely focused on playing a card with a possible apocalypse and the reaction of society to it. Because of this, the psychologism of relationships fades into the background - McKay very accurately returns to it in the very finale, when it is hardly possible to change anything. The film does not have a direct antagonist, but there are fools and mercenaries - McKay lists almost every inhabitant of the Earth among them, except for a small handful of people who have nowhere to go.

It is wonderful that if you take the ideas of this film, such as the regulation of the agenda, the attitude of the public to the problems of climate change and global warming, the increased interest in conflicts among the public, the denial of the observed reality, as well as the use of quotes from people who are not involved in science or a certain type of activity to confirm the narrative , then they will be relevant both in modern Russia and around the world. 

In conclusion, I want to note that “Don't look up” is a satire not only towards the media, but also towards society. Even when I was studying journalism, many teachers told me that people primarily like conflicts that do not concern them - and they prefer to bypass problems that affect them. Until we, both as professionals and as consumers, get rid of this mindset, look up, we will never know about a meteor flying towards our house and there is nothing we can do to deal with it.