Author George Orwell is well known for his vision about how the world would be long after his death.
His masterpiece novel Nineteen Eighty-Four published in 1949, was his ninth and final book and probably his most controversial. It centred on totalitarianism, mass surveillance and repressive regimentation of people and behaviours.
Acclaimed director and BAFTA award winner Raoul Peck and award winning director, Alex Gibney, worked in collaboration to create the film, Orwell: 2+2=5, which is in cinemas across the UK from tomorrow.
Set on the stunning island of Jura, where Orwell retreated to write the book, the film is serious but brilliant and gives a fabulous insight into the great man’s theories which seem so real these days.
Actor Damian Lewis reads out loud Orwell’s prose from his published work and letters and diaries, and his performance is alive and full of energy.
Orwell was suffering from tuberculosis when writing the book and was quite frail, so the film emphasis on how he worked on with such determination despite the illness.
The film’s brilliant portrayal of the stillness of Jura in contrast to the intense Orwell, is put across well and Peck uses film and television adaptations of Nineteen Eighty-Four to make his point.
Archive photo records of Orwell’s childhood, plus his early life working as a policeman in Burma are for all to see and show how they helped develop his dislike of colonialism and state-sanctioned unfairness, justified by lying, euphemism and mind-control.
Video clips of Trump, Putin, Orban, Modi and Netanyahu are intertwined to show modern alignment and interestingly the film show Orwell’s prediction of the rise of A1 propaganda.
Orwell’s disgust for authority landed him many enemies and his own failings, something the film glides gently over. But it explores deeply the modern relevance of his political observations and is a joy to watch.
It’s a valuable insight into the great man, who 77 years after writing his famous novel, is still being discussed with awe, something not many of us can say.
Orwell: 2+2=5, certificate 15, is released in UK cinemas by Altitude Film Distribution, from Friday 27th March 2026.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.
Image courtesy of Altitude Film Distribution
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