In a future America, all exceptional human intelligence and achievement is stamped out in order to eliminate the destructive consequences of envy. Based on the Kurt Vonnegut story, Harrison Bergeron. [ 2081 credits: Dir: Chandler Tuttle/ James Cosmo, Julie Hagerty, Armie Hammer /25 min/ Short Film, Drama, SciFi/ Equality & Envy, Individualism]
Note: the full film can typically be found online via search.
External Reviews
“2081 is both an excellent adaptation of Vonnegut’s short story and a visually arresting, emotionally-charged film…”
–The World in the Satin Bag
“The film is only twenty-five minutes long, but it packs a punch as terrible as Michael Radford’s gritty, nearly two-hour long Nineteen Eighty-Four. The production values are as good as any $20 million budget blockbuster’s. As a parable on the price of silence and the fate of those who prefer security and passivity over independence and freedom, it is one of the best films I have ever seen.”
–Capitalism Magazine [No link provided due to spoiler alert–review includes film’s ending.]
“Chandler Tuttle creates an exquisite adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s short story Harrison Bergeron in the 2009 short film 2081. I have not seen any of the longer adaptations to screen, but after watching what Tuttle was able to do with 25 minutes, I’m not going to bother with the others.”
–Omphalokepsis
“2081 is fantastic, a classic sci-fi tale that explores modern society’s obsession with equality, which, while altruistic and noble, like any ideology can be taken too far.”
–Confessions of a Christian Freak
“This is a good film, and deserves to be watched. Fans of the original short story should enjoy the time spent on keeping the story as accurate as possible without direct mimicry, and the performances are all done rather well.”
–Infinite Hollywood
“Though clocking in at only 25 minutes the film makes quite an impact depicting a citizen defying a society in which equality is imposed by governmental force.”
–Apologia Pro Literati Vita
How to See It
Amazon (DVD)
Amazon (Instant Video)
Online Video Search
Links
Official homepage
IMDB
Wikipedia
Related Film: Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron
Book: (Includes Harrison Bergeron): Welcome to the Monkey House: Stories