Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Thrilling, thoughtful sci-fi has violence, sex, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Where to Watch
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Paradise (2023)
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In PARADISE, it's Berlin in the not-too-distant future, and Max (Kostja Ullmann) is a highly successful salesperson for a powerful tech company. That company is Aeon, and they offer a surgery that adds years and youth to rich people's lives, literally taken from the poor, who receive financial compensation for donating at least 15 years of their natural lifespan. Max has just been awarded Aeon's annual "Donation Manager of the Year" award from the company's CEO, Sophie Thiessen, and after celebrating with his wife Elena (Marlene Tanczik), they return home to find that their luxury high-rise condo has burned down. Max soon discovers that Elena, as collateral for the condo, "donated" 40 years of her life, and now she must pay. The authorities immediately take her in to prevent the couple from fleeing the country, and Elena undergoes the procedure. Within days, Elena is now a senior citizen, and Max is determined to get Elena's years back, no matter what it takes, and no matter what conspiracies are revealed.
Is It Any Good?
This is an entertaining and thoughtful dystopian sci-fi about aging and the vast chasm between the very rich and the very poor. Paradise depicts a world in which a tech company has developed a way to add years and youth to those who can afford it (or to those, such as Nobel Prize winners, that the company deems worthy), "donated" by DNA matches from the less affluent who need the money and are desperate enough to give years and decades of their lives for money. The premise is fully fleshed out, incorporating possibilities such as black-market procedures that happen in Eastern Europe and the Baltic States and how refugees would likely be exploited by this system.
The story strongly implies sequels to come at the end of the movie, which makes sense, as this feels more like establishing the world and the conflicts than a stand-alone movie. While some of the plot twists seem forced and inevitable, there's plenty of action and the balance between this action and world-building works. Here's hoping that if there are sequels to this, they live up to the promise of what's established here.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about dystopian sci-fi movies like Paradise. How is this similar to and different from other dystopian sci-fi movies you've seen?
How does the movie use dystopian sci-fi to make relevant commentary on the correlations between wealth and lifespan, the aging process, and the vast chasm that exists between the very rich and the very poor?
For decades now, movies that depict bleak futures based on contemporary issues have been popular. What do you think is the appeal of dystopian sci-fi movies?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : July 27, 2023
- Cast : Numan Acar , Iris Berben , Aleyna Cara
- Director : Boris Kunz
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Run time : 116 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : July 28, 2023
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