Orwell: 2+2=5

The phrase “‘Big Brother is watching you” feels like it was written for today. Yet it was coined in 1949 by George Orwell (the pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair), in his dystopian satire 1984. Director Raoul Peck’s focus is on Orwell’s prophetic vision in this documentary, which unfolds in a manner reminiscent of the his 2016 James Baldwin film I Am Not Your Negro.

In extracts from diaries and letters, we hear Orwell (voiced by actor Damian Lewis) reflecting on his life: his formative years in a society divided by class, his involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and his time on the Scottish island of Jura, where he wrote 1984 shortly before his death. Orwell’s personal memories are illustrated by clips from film adaptations of Animal Farm and 1984.

The material forms the foundation for a wealth of visuals that track global developments from World War II to the present—an era defined by deepfakes, resurgent authoritarianism, and contemporary Newspeak—from Trump’s lies to Putin’s "special military operation."