The mood of a movie, the temperature and humidity of the day, and my personal experiences often serve as benchmarks for evaluation. 'Choi's Review' is a section where I blend my perspective and experiences to introduce films in a more relaxed and everyday manner. <Editor’s Note>
This article contains spoilers about the film.
We often consume disasters on screen as if they are the tragedies of perfect strangers. It is safe and enjoyable to laugh at an absurd world while reclining in a plush seat and munching on popcorn. Alejandro G. Iñárritu's latest film, 'Digger,' shatters that illusion of safety. It packages a global disaster as a catastrophic black comedy, making audiences chuckle, only to ultimately blur the lines between screen and reality, presenting uncomfortable truths.
Oil tycoon Digger Rockwell (played by Tom Cruise) is an eccentric businessman who wields immense wealth and power. Having amassed riches through generations of drilling operations, he lives in a bubble, only hearing what he wants to hear. One day, a small crack appears in a drilling facility he set up on a Greenland glacier. What seemed like a minor issue spirals out of control, threatening the entire world. Yet, Digger rarely reflects on the consequences of his actions. Instead, he positions himself as the only one capable of solving the crisis.
Digger is a character full of contradictions. He is devoted to his elderly cat, Maggie, yet has stuffed animals like polar bears displayed throughout his home, showing indifference to the reality of their demise due to his business. When confronted about his greed, he justifies his actions by claiming others are no different. Profit takes precedence over environmental concerns, and excuses overshadow responsibility. Through Digger, Iñárritu sharply satirizes individuals who possess great power yet remain oblivious to the responsibilities that come with it.
Interestingly, the film's storytelling approach is noteworthy. In the early part of 'Digger,' it appears to follow a black comedy about the global disaster caused by an eccentric tycoon. The exaggerated actions and bizarre dialogues of the characters, along with the oddly distorted settings, continuously generate laughter. However, midway through the film, Iñárritu flips the narrative like a bolt from the blue. The story of Digger Rockwell, which the audience believed to be a film, is revealed to be a story on stage.
At that moment, the camera pulls back, revealing stage lights, props, and an audience that had previously been unseen. The reality within the film transforms into a story on stage, and the bizarre scenes that had passed earlier suddenly find their meaning. The moment when the exaggerated performances and unnatural props align is intriguing. It is not a twist meant to shock the audience but a clever structure that prompts a reevaluation of the film's first half from a completely different perspective.
Subsequently, the film increasingly incorporates theatrical elements. As it shifts between stage and audience, the performances become more exaggerated, and the props and settings actively showcase theatrical characteristics. Iñárritu's boldness in breaking the familiar narrative format and starting a new story stands out. In this process, the film not only mocks Digger Rockwell's pretentiousness and greed but also begins to delve into the life of the actor portraying him.
The cinematography and art direction also support Iñárritu's daring vision. Emmanuel Lubezki, who collaborated with him on 'Birdman' and 'The Revenant,' shot the entire film in VistaVision, a 35mm film format. He even employed newly designed wide-angle vintage Leica lenses for this purpose. The meticulously calculated mise-en-scène, from the characters' appearances to the colors of costumes and props, becomes even more captivating at the moment the film transitions into another form of theater.
Leading this bold experiment is undoubtedly Tom Cruise. After years of taking on impossible missions and saving the world, he returns as an eccentric tycoon who endangers it. With a shocking appearance featuring gray hair and a protruding belly, it is hard to find the familiar Tom Cruise. However, the real surprise lies not in his physical transformation but in his performance. He skillfully portrays Digger's absurd confidence and near-arrogance while not losing sight of the underlying anxiety and contradictions. The character's shamelessness, which even refuses to acknowledge his mistakes, elicits laughter but also becomes unsettling at times. His performance fills the 128-minute runtime without a single action scene, marking one of the most intense and successful departures in his acting career.
However, the true highlight of 'Digger' comes after the play concludes. As the actors leave the stage, the film once again defies audience expectations. The audience, who had been safely observing the theatrical disaster, begins to connect with the reality outside the theater. The climate crisis is not just an absurd story about an eccentric tycoon; it is an ongoing event in the world we live in. The moment the audience sitting in the film's seats overlaps with the actual theater audience, the boundaries separating screen, stage, and reality collapse.
Only then do we return to the film's beginning. How different are the choices of the audience, who laughed at Digger's pretentiousness and clicked their tongues at his excuses, in their own lives? How different is our daily life, which ignores the climate crisis, from Digger's contradictions, who only cherishes his pet cat? Iñárritu does not elaborate on the answers but instead breaks down the forms of film and theater, making the audience a part of the story. The laughter that erupted earlier now feels bitter in retrospect.
Having explored the cracks between stage and reality in 'Birdman' and depicted the harsh conflict between humanity and nature in 'The Revenant,' Iñárritu boldly expands his interests in 'Digger.' While the questions about human desire and self-deception remain, the way he unravels them is far more mischievous and provocative than before. The play of 'Digger' may have ended, but the disaster outside the theater is far from over. The film is set to be released in theaters on October 3, with a runtime of 128 minutes and a rating of 15 and older.
This article contains spoilers about the film.
We often consume disasters on screen as if they are the tragedies of perfect strangers. It is safe and enjoyable to laugh at an absurd world while reclining in a plush seat and munching on popcorn. Alejandro G. Iñárritu's latest film, 'Digger,' shatters that illusion of safety. It packages a global disaster as a catastrophic black comedy, making audiences chuckle, only to ultimately blur the lines between screen and reality, presenting uncomfortable truths.
Oil tycoon Digger Rockwell (played by Tom Cruise) is an eccentric businessman who wields immense wealth and power. Having amassed riches through generations of drilling operations, he lives in a bubble, only hearing what he wants to hear. One day, a small crack appears in a drilling facility he set up on a Greenland glacier. What seemed like a minor issue spirals out of control, threatening the entire world. Yet, Digger rarely reflects on the consequences of his actions. Instead, he positions himself as the only one capable of solving the crisis.
Digger is a character full of contradictions. He is devoted to his elderly cat, Maggie, yet has stuffed animals like polar bears displayed throughout his home, showing indifference to the reality of their demise due to his business. When confronted about his greed, he justifies his actions by claiming others are no different. Profit takes precedence over environmental concerns, and excuses overshadow responsibility. Through Digger, Iñárritu sharply satirizes individuals who possess great power yet remain oblivious to the responsibilities that come with it.
Interestingly, the film's storytelling approach is noteworthy. In the early part of 'Digger,' it appears to follow a black comedy about the global disaster caused by an eccentric tycoon. The exaggerated actions and bizarre dialogues of the characters, along with the oddly distorted settings, continuously generate laughter. However, midway through the film, Iñárritu flips the narrative like a bolt from the blue. The story of Digger Rockwell, which the audience believed to be a film, is revealed to be a story on stage.
At that moment, the camera pulls back, revealing stage lights, props, and an audience that had previously been unseen. The reality within the film transforms into a story on stage, and the bizarre scenes that had passed earlier suddenly find their meaning. The moment when the exaggerated performances and unnatural props align is intriguing. It is not a twist meant to shock the audience but a clever structure that prompts a reevaluation of the film's first half from a completely different perspective.
Subsequently, the film increasingly incorporates theatrical elements. As it shifts between stage and audience, the performances become more exaggerated, and the props and settings actively showcase theatrical characteristics. Iñárritu's boldness in breaking the familiar narrative format and starting a new story stands out. In this process, the film not only mocks Digger Rockwell's pretentiousness and greed but also begins to delve into the life of the actor portraying him.
The cinematography and art direction also support Iñárritu's daring vision. Emmanuel Lubezki, who collaborated with him on 'Birdman' and 'The Revenant,' shot the entire film in VistaVision, a 35mm film format. He even employed newly designed wide-angle vintage Leica lenses for this purpose. The meticulously calculated mise-en-scène, from the characters' appearances to the colors of costumes and props, becomes even more captivating at the moment the film transitions into another form of theater.
Leading this bold experiment is undoubtedly Tom Cruise. After years of taking on impossible missions and saving the world, he returns as an eccentric tycoon who endangers it. With a shocking appearance featuring gray hair and a protruding belly, it is hard to find the familiar Tom Cruise. However, the real surprise lies not in his physical transformation but in his performance. He skillfully portrays Digger's absurd confidence and near-arrogance while not losing sight of the underlying anxiety and contradictions. The character's shamelessness, which even refuses to acknowledge his mistakes, elicits laughter but also becomes unsettling at times. His performance fills the 128-minute runtime without a single action scene, marking one of the most intense and successful departures in his acting career.
However, the true highlight of 'Digger' comes after the play concludes. As the actors leave the stage, the film once again defies audience expectations. The audience, who had been safely observing the theatrical disaster, begins to connect with the reality outside the theater. The climate crisis is not just an absurd story about an eccentric tycoon; it is an ongoing event in the world we live in. The moment the audience sitting in the film's seats overlaps with the actual theater audience, the boundaries separating screen, stage, and reality collapse.
Only then do we return to the film's beginning. How different are the choices of the audience, who laughed at Digger's pretentiousness and clicked their tongues at his excuses, in their own lives? How different is our daily life, which ignores the climate crisis, from Digger's contradictions, who only cherishes his pet cat? Iñárritu does not elaborate on the answers but instead breaks down the forms of film and theater, making the audience a part of the story. The laughter that erupted earlier now feels bitter in retrospect.
Having explored the cracks between stage and reality in 'Birdman' and depicted the harsh conflict between humanity and nature in 'The Revenant,' Iñárritu boldly expands his interests in 'Digger.' While the questions about human desire and self-deception remain, the way he unravels them is far more mischievous and provocative than before. The play of 'Digger' may have ended, but the disaster outside the theater is far from over. The film is set to be released in theaters on October 3, with a runtime of 128 minutes and a rating of 15 and older.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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