By sworn translator and lawyer Mariana Prandi.
Paradise is a German sci-fi thriller from 2023, directed by Boris Kunz.
In the not-too distant future, a company called «Aeon» offers to exchange life time for euros. That is, the poor can sacrifice years of their lives to obtain material goods that they might not have had, even if they had not worked for that same time, and the rich, who would give everything to be able to live longer…
The movie starts with an advertisement in which people are seen enjoying their lives with the money they obtained by «donating» (as they call it) years of their lives.
The slogan is:
Deine Zeit. Deine Chance. Deine Wahl.
Your time. Your chance. Your choice.
Max, the star salesman, has already obtained 276 years for the company, and feels no remorse for taking advantage of the complicated circumstances of those who see no possible dignified way out of their futures. Still, he knows that not everyone agrees with his opinion because he wears special clothing to protect himself from what the protesters outside the company throw at him.
And there is also an organization called «Adam» that commits terrorist acts with the excuse of protecting human beings, because those who make life a commodity make people a commodity.
Everything seems to be going smoothly for Max, despite objections against the company, until a fire destroys their home and his girlfriend is forced to «donate» 40 years so they don’t fall into financial ruin. Dreams of having children and growing old together come to an end.
As a consequence of that procedure, his girlfriend undergoes treatment and ages overnight.
The film has numerous references to time. The company is called «Aeon.» In geology, the word «aeon,» like the company’s name, is the unit of geological time equivalent to a billion years.
In addition, the daughter of the company’s president died of progeria, a disease that causes people to age at an accelerated rate.
In Paradise’s dystopian future, doctors are too young, suggesting that they have also bought time, and drug dealers are children. It would seem that everyone with power can get younger. So it is strange that the president of Aeon is not exactly young. Could it be possible that the forced donation of Max’s girlfriend has something to do with the fire?
Several thought-provoking situations arise. Among others, the abuse of the unprotected, such as the poor, refugees, children… And what would have happened if important people in society who died young had lived many years, or if it was better to live many years or to value the ones you had.
It is also interesting to think about the mercantilist conception of time. In English, the same verbs are used to refer to time and money: «Spend,» «waste» and «save». And the «Time is money» motto, or the importance of valuing those who give us their time, because that person gives something that he or she will not be able to get back. At least he can’t do it outside the Paradise movie.
Experience shows that traveling makes you learn more about the place where you live than about the place you visit. It’s the same with science fiction. A society of the future makes us see the problems of today’s society better.
Paradise is recommended only for ages 16 and older, due to sexual content and vulgar language. It can be found on Netflix. Have you seen it yet?
