In the farcical sci-fi adventure Greatland (2020), teenager Ulysses, played by Arman Darbo, is trapped in a bizarre dystopian world ruled by a universal Mother, a computer program that indoctrinates citizens into a warped ideal of universal love. When an absurd election and a deadly virus plunge Greatland into chaos and violence, Ulysses must cross the forbidden frontier to rescue his kidnapped childhood sweetheart.
As he navigates this twisted landscape, Ulysses challenges the status quo, confronting themes of conformity versus individuality. Greatland presents a thought-provoking exploration of control and freedom in a world gone mad.
Greatland begins with a bang but ends with a whimper. Those looking for a far-out dystopian film will be pleased with the start, but as the film goes on, the plot becomes lost in unclear social and political ideals. To quote the popular internet meme, “Satire requires a clarity of purpose and target, lest it be mistaken for and contribute to that which it intends to criticize.” Greatland lacks both clarity and purpose. In interviews, director Dana Ziyasheva talks about the lack of editing that went into the script as a good thing. I would have to disagree on that point.
While Greatland’s commentary on the frivolity of American electoralism is well conceived and lands without confusion, the other points get lost in absurdity and quickly weakening plotlines. At its core, Greatland is a story of teenage rebellion and coming of age, but the way its production and plot jump between John Waters-style absurdity and Disney-made-for-tv drama is hard to follow while killing the film’s beguiling edginess and overall impact. Some simple pre-production edits to the script or a second treatment with an additional writer could have helped to avoid these pitfalls.
If Greatland had been played as a simple post-apocalyptic setting with Greatland as the center of a survivor cult, its points could have been more subtle and understandable, and the action and absurdity could have shined throughout the film (in the same way Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome somehow makes it easy to believe that Tina Turner could be the leader of an Australian post-apocalyptic faction). Instead, the last half of the movie spends most of its time explaining itself without making anything any clearer and completely eschewing the satirical stylings it leaned on so heavily at the film’s beginning that were Greatland’s real strength. If you’re looking for a fever dream of a movie that feels like Pink Flamingos and Rocky Horror Picture Show had an almost PG-13-rated baby, Greatland will hold interest for you. However, it will appeal best to South Park lovers who think mockery posing as satire is high comedy. It’s not quite what it pitches itself as, but Greatland is a great choice for those looking for a weird, messed-up movie. However, this does hamper broader appeal.
