Ari Wu

Just rewatched this movie today, in June 2022, after Roe was overturned. After first watching it near release, I found myself liking it just as much this time as I did then; if not, more. Noomi Rapace is WONDERFUL at playing 7 main characters at the same time. It was very clear how each septuplet was their own person/character because the dialogue between them was executed and presented so naturally. The writing, directing, and editing each had their own role in making the dialogue seem and flow so naturally. There were many shots in this movie that I found myself admiring; pausing and rewatching, to make sure my friend saw it, or, more importantly, so I could absorb its artistry all over again. The world-building of its dystopian future is done very well, especially as allegorical critiques of capitalism, a system built on a lie, ignorant politicians more concerned with the next election than the welfare of the people they're supposed to represent, how people able to have children do not have a choice in how many to keep/are treated by the government, the effect of constant widespread propaganda on multiple generations of people, classism; in how the Child Allocation Act mostly affects low-income communities, China's old One Child Policy, and many more great examples that aren't off the top of my head. The writers did a great job at creating a plausible dystopian future with oppressive laws and humanizing the victims of said laws. The deaths are creative and fit to each character's personality and conform to the world-building established in the beginning very well. I've seen many critics give this movie a lower rating because "what about birth control/contraception," when that type of thinking completely ignores the message and story of the 1-hour-something movie, which centers around the septuplets. Not only that, but it's clear that the Child Allocation Act affects lower-income communities drastically more than others, and historically, those are the communities with much less access to sex education and contraceptives. I think this movie had an amazing idea, a critique of society, and a great execution from everyone that worked on this movie and made it possible. Great watch, entertaining, well-paced, good action sequences, great editing, creative shots/directing, and many more.