the climate issue in fiction on AppleTV+
CRITICISM – Ten years later Contagion, anticipating the Covid crisis, screenwriter Scott Z.Burns depicts the consequences of rising temperatures. A worst-case scenario with Meryl Streep, Marion Cotillard and Tahar Rahim. Extrapolationsa series available on Apple TV+.
A decade ago screenwriter Scott Z. Burns signed for Steven Soderbergh Contagion, a film that imagined the progression of a deadly bat-borne lung virus and the collapse of society as a result of this pandemic. The plot, visionary, foreshadowed our troubles with the coronavirus. For Apple TV+, Scott Z. Burns puts his gifts of “divination” at the service ofExtrapolations. A terrifying dystopia about global warming that offers the same shock as the British miniseries Years and Yearsin which the United Kingdom and Europe descended into an unprecedented political and energy crisis.
dark vision
Extrapolations even offers an even darker view of humanity’s ability to self-destruct. “I am not Nostradamus. My scenarios are based on existing scientific worksays Scott Z. Burns. Before adding:Global warming has been the subject of many documentaries. But no series. However, fiction can give a concrete image of the impact of rising oceans and temperatures. May this vision make viewers, especially those who do not feel concerned, want to work for other futures where the interests of the planet are better taken into account. It is no longer a question of if, but rather of how. Which animal species to save? How to limit population movements?»
Flood walls
These eight episodes run over four decades, from 2037 to 2070. Close enough to us that its world remains recognizable. Sufficiently spread over time for the ecological and social consequences of climate change to unfold. Whales or orangutans only survive in collective memory through holograms or sequenced and frozen DNA. Congenital and heart defects are exploding. Coastal metropolises, such as Miami, cover themselves with anti-submersion walls. The digitization of memories and consciousness is acquired. Climate engineering is developing.
“In our offices, we had a frieze that chronicled every detail: the melting of the glaciers, the last vineyard in the world capable of producing pinot noir“Says Scott Z. Burns, who spoke to many experts. The same work has been done with the possible technological progress. A more perilous side that sometimes pours too much into SF à la Black Mirror.
Puzzle sometimes uneven
Extrapolations tends a global canvas that dares comic stalls or even incursions into romantic comedy. The puzzle is sometimes uneven, at least confusing. Through teenagers revolted against the passivity of adults, a rabbi or an ersatz of Elon Musk, the creator of this series links the themes of faith, activism, entrepreneurship or justice. As in an anthology, certain characters make a unique appearance. Others, on the contrary, return decades later to see the damage.
Five-star cast
This gives a five-star cast: Marion Cotillard, Tahar Rahim, Kit Harington, Meryl Streep, who lends her voice to a cetacean. Scott Z. Burns hammers it: “Extrapolations is a warning, not a fatality. Warming is certainly inevitable. However, a rise in temperature of 1.5 degrees or 2.5 degrees paints a very different world. Every individual and collective gesture counts.” This fear has governed this production: prohibited plastic, biodegradable packaging, meals without red meat, vegan menus. The materials needed for the sets were sourced as closely as possible. Filming locations have been restricted to New York and surrounding areas to limit talent travel and allow for group transportation
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