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Parents' Guide to

A World Without

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Naïve teens unknowingly join cult; language, violence.

Movie NR 2021 107 minutes
A World Without Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • A World Without Movie: Scene # 1
  • A World Without Movie: Scene # 2
  • A World Without Movie: Scene # 3

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What's the Story?

It's 2030 in A WORLD WITHOUT, and teens are desperate to escape the rubble, pollution, and social disruption left in the wake of the 2020 pandemic. They crave normality, upward mobility, and perfect committed love with perfect committed partners chosen specifically to be their soulmates. Those are the promises made by the Light, a well-funded cult situated in a remote luxury setting. Teens with "raging hormones" are trained to practice abstinence until marriage. A strict anti-abortion philosophy is espoused. All of this is in the name of making the decimated world into a better place. The "esteemed leader," Ali (Chicco Jerikho), seems gentle and understanding until his authority is questioned, at which time he becomes a vengeful protector of his fiefdom, stopping at nothing to keep the outside world from learning the truth about his corrupt operation. Three 16-year-old best friends sign up to relinquish dating and embrace the husbands the Light will pair them with, then quickly have babies, and foster a traditional, conservative, male-dominated dystopic society. The matching process turns out to be capricious. Ulfah (Maizura), who loves running the cult's store, is married off to Hafiz (Jerome Kurnia), a video editor madly in love with Salina (Amanda Rawles), a talented videographer. With no obvious match for Salina, Ali, longing for a child, invites her to be his polygamous second wife, with the permission of his existing wife, who has just had a miscarriage. Tara (Asmara Abigail) hits 17 and is married off to Aditya (Richard Kyle), the charming son of Mr. Frans, the businessman-politician who brings suitcases filled with cash to Ali to support the Light. The three friends plot their escape; is it too late?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

A World Without loses the plot so often, presenting so many illogical and absurd developments, that the movie wrestles itself into laughable absurdity despite a promising set up. Clearly no one involved with the script thought this through. The Light is trying to save the planet, creating solid married couples dedicated to quick procreation and promotion of the Light's cosmically responsible message. So why is the Light's main business a cosmetics company? An obsession with superficial beauty is the way to heal the planet? Yes, 20 percent of the profits go to charity, but how does plowing resources and efforts into a makeup firm represent doing good in a devastated world? Media manipulation plays a role. A teen is tapped to follow the leader around with her video camera for a puff documentary. The more the girl sees, the more she suspects something fishy. The secret method for matching teens with their "guaranteed" soulmates is rickety, an arbitrary two-minute decision made by a small clueless committee.

Nothing here remotely represents the way humans feel or behave. A girl is devastated to learn her husband loves another and moments later, in a major emotional disconnect, is gleeful that she's pregnant by him. A wealthy donor asks Ali to find a bride for his handsome son, who is not a member of the cult. The son seems thrilled. Why can't a rich young man who looks like a movie star find his own wife? And instead of having sex with his wife, he arranges for her to be raped? What does a wealthy donor get out of supporting the cult? Perhaps a sequel will reveal all.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what warnings this movie means to send. Is the script and direction clear enough to make a valid social argument? Why or why not?

  • Salina is warned by someone to get out of the cult before it's too late. What would you do it if you were in Salina's position?

  • How does the movie explain the good parts of the cult? Why would young people want to join? What does the cult leader get out of bringing in new recruits?

Movie Details

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