The student choice movie that I chose is “The Purge.” In this movie, citizens celebrate an annual holiday. During this holiday, all crime is legal for 12 hours. The crime can range from petty offenses to more serious offenses such as murder. In this movie, the SAndlin family chooses not to participate in the purge, however, they fall victim when a homeless man finds shelter in their home. Therefore, the overall idea of the purge is an element of dystopia.
The Purge targets the less fortunate in order to uphold high standards of the community. This creates discomfort, segregation, and powerlessness because the less fortunate do not have the resources necessary to protect themselves during the purge. In the case of the movie, the wealthy, high-class and middle class families are considered “safe”, because they have the money to buy resources to protect themselves and their families. For example, the Sandlins have the alarm system that was protecting them until they were invaded for sheltering the homeless man. At this moment, the government basically exerts control over the lower class because they have nowhere to turn, so they experience great suffering and fear.
Therefore, this is classified as a dystopia because in reality the government would never allow crime to run rampant. Even during government shut-downs, there is still some type of first response in the time of trouble. The limited interference from the government creates a society that resorts to harsh violence in order to benefit the government but not all citizens.
