Dystopia: a disillusioned reality controlled by evil, angst, and chaos.
In tv shows and movies that I’ve seen displaying dystopian type vibes the three things that they typically have in common are a chaotic environment, great angst and anxiety from the character anticipating the coming events and evil. Which can be expressed in different ways such as through revenge, improbable harsh punishments, and just all around wrongdoing to hurt others. For instance in the movie, “In Time” time is a concept used to separate the wealthy from the poor. The more time a person has the more that they can buy and the longer they live and Vice versa for those with little time. The class system is set up to keep the rich wealthy and the poor, struggling and dying off. A plot that resonates through the whole movie is chaos. Due to people (time thieves) stealing from others for time to survive, the main character being chased by the government after he was given a large transaction of time after saving someone’s life, etc. When the main character was both broke and wealthy he was in a chaotic stressful situation which both revolves around his survival. Angst was shown through the movie as he was constantly on the run to make money and earn time and the anxiety and pressure he felt to keep his mother alive. Evil resonated through the class system and how the poor we’re struggling so badly and the aggressive vibe from the government to keep the struggling and needy. I use the word evil because time controls everything, and alters their moral conscious to place money before human needs and sympathy for others. All in all, such distinct characteristics are commonly found in dystopian themed movies, shows and books. Such themes allow the audience to grow attached to the characters through their empathy for them and somewhat relation to the character despite their situation not being as extreme.
