Downsizing

Downsizing is a comedic drama directed and co-written by Alexander Payne (Nebraska). The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and stars Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Jason Sudeikis, and Kristen Wiig. Chau earned a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance.

Downsizing imagines what might happen if, as a solution to over- population, Norwegian scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall and propose a 200-year global transition from big to small. People soon realize how much further money goes in a miniaturized world. With the promise of a better life, everyman Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in Omaha for a new downsized community, taking the irreversible leap that will trigger life-changing adventures when they become small.

Payne wanted to make sure the film’s themes were universal. “Our heroes are American, Vietnamese and Serbian. In the film, you’ll hear English, Vietnamese, Serbian, Spanish, Norwegian, Greek, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic, French and just for a moment, you’ll see American Sign Language,” he says. “We didn’t set out to be a movie with lots of languages, but it served the story and the idea that Paul’s world gets bigger once he makes the choice to become smaller.”

Downsizing is rated 14A.