Sunday, May 13, 2018

Indie Showcase: My Tiny Universe (2004)

As a rule of thumb, movies are not that good of a way to predict the future. If they were, we would be at least having one or two flying car companies instead of another social media app that just came out. However, sometimes, away from the spotlight of the big prediction and blockbuster visions of the future, some movies do nail the future in an eerie fashion. My Tiny Universe, which was made almost 15 years ago, seems to be one of those films. Here is it’s plot:

Dickie Bates is a washed-up actor. Bobby Devillin is a sleazy A-list producer. Luring Devillin to his home, Dickie pushes the big-shot's weak-points by toying with the one thing that matters to him - his cell phone. The actor's small home is soon filled with an irrepressible crowd of characters in this fast-paced satire of life in Tinseltown.
 
At the time of its release, the film worked as a dark comedy that takes a look behind the glitz and the glamour of Hollywood. Today, in the light of the #MeToo movement, it transforms itself into a whole new work, this time shining a light on the idea of the all-powerful Hollywood movie producer. In the film, the fictional Bobby Devillin has a wife, a range of mistresses and even a kid on the way with one of them.

Still, his trainwreck of a life continues unabated until it all comes tumbling down. Now, the topic can be seen not just as one man’s road to ruin, but also an avalanche of misery that took so many other individuals, mainly women, with him - even though Bobby is used to riding everything out. Sounds like anyone you know?

Thanks to this, My Tiny Universe is an interesting film with many overlapping themes with the #MeToo movement, which makes it a relevant cinematographic piece, especially in today’s world. Learn more about the film or watch it on its Amazon page.