South of Hope Street

Set in 2038 during World War III in a society that is under the heel of the platform-heeled black boots, with information piped by onto screens it’s safe to say that there’s a whiff of 1984 about South of Hope Street.

That however is a veneer as there’s a lot else going on in Jane Spencer’s film as she points to those living out a fairly good life under a neutral but authoritarian regime, away from the war.

That doesn’t include Denise (Tanna Frederick) who had a job in the bank until she’s fired, that then rolls into her getting kicked out of her flat share with artiste/socialite Xenia (Patricia Negri). Xenia and her pretentious friends maintain a decent lifestyle with their exhibitions and whatnot, almost blithe to what is going on around them.

With suitcases dragging behind Denise encounters oddballs Tom (Judd Nelson) a poet convinced his words can change society, his nephew Andrey (Maximilian Preisig), and war veteran Wes (Craig Conway).

Eventually they make their way into the wilderness where they meet up with rebels/resistance that look like an unlikely combination of the intellectual book people from the final scene of François Truffaut’s 1966 adaptation of Fahrenheit 451, and the earthier rebels in Woody Allen’s 1973 Sleeper. A scenario where Michael Madsen looks very much at home.

The narrative and characters are out of a tumble dryer into a calculated visually impressive cold world of two moons with a screen crossing across the sky to prevent information getting in or out.

The two don’t quite complement as the narrative structure is far too scattergun to be an effective satire or warning. That makes it a difficult film to enjoy as an entertainment, though as a thought provoker there are ideas streaming from it.

The film’s loftiness is somewhat tempered by the actors whose characters range from the absurd to grim. So there’s some trying to play the more outrageous semi-straight for comedic effect while others cold military steel. Its all solid enough just far too busy to latch on to and achieve any lasting effect.

South of Hope Street will be released in the UK on Amazon Prime from 12 November 2024 and on Paramount+ from 15 November 2024.