The Future is Now!

Gary Burns and Jim Brown's sprightly Canadian quasi-documentary is among a handful of (precious few) brainy movies (such as Mindwalk and Sophie's World) that invoke big ideas and lofty concepts within the framework of a scripted narrative that presents a series of dialogues and debates. In The Future is Now! (actually a remake/update of 1949's little-remembered La Vie Commence Demain), a person-on-the-street TV interviewer (Liane Balaban) meets a subject she dubs the "Man of Today" (Paul Ahmarani), a cynical libertarian who harbors no particular hope or vision for the future, besides his own private pursuit of an ethical life. At her insistence, the Man of Today embarks on a fanciful worldwide quest to speak with international great minds—architect Shigeru Ban, philosopher Alain de Botton, novelist Rivka Galchen, painter Marlene Dumas, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins—and he even enjoys a face-to-face encounter with a chain-smoking, hologram-like Jean-Paul Sartre (edited in from La Vie Commence Demain footage). Although it is sometimes unclear what "aha!" moments actually bring about a change in attitude in the Man of Today, this playful intellectual mystery tour serves up a charming and unconventional argument for optimism. Presented in both the English and French versions, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)