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      Users

      Released Nov 25, 2022 1 hr. 21 min. Documentary List
      56% 27 Reviews Tomatometer A mother wonders: Will my children grow to love their perfect machines more than they love me? Intimate in scope and epic in scale, director Natalia Almada embarks on a cinematic journey into an invisible realm, where it is taken for granted that technological progress will always inspire social progress, and that ever-smarter machines will make humankind ever better. Constructed from stunning, immaculately rendered images and featuring a score performed by the Kronos Quartet, Users is an immersive journey into the heart of our changing relationship to the natural world. Read More Read Less

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      Critics Consensus

      There's no quibbling with its ambitious aims, but Users is more repetitive and less intelligent than it seems to think.

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      Chris J MOVIE REVIEW Users – Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2023 Runtime: 1h 21m Director(s): Natalia Almada Where To Watch: opens in NYC with BAM Film on June 9 and in Los Angeles with the Laemmle Glendale on June 16, 2023 RAVING REVIEW: Alright, let's dive into the techno-reality of USERS, where director Natalia Almada touches us down into uncharted territory. It's like stepping into a world full of intriguing puzzles, layer after layer of intrigue, as Almada peels back the layers to reveal the complexities of modern living. The film introduces us to a bustling Mexican city serving as the crux of the country's oil extraction industry. The focus goes beyond the black gold, focusing on the lives of unpaid naval workers, local fish farmers, and ordinary folks who are merely trying to make ends meet. It's a compelling juxtaposition of industrial might and human frailty. Almada's USERS is like a cinematic puzzle, stitching together captivating interviews with individuals battling injustice. This approach keeps your eyes glued to the screen, but sometimes you might feel like the puzzle pieces don't always fit together. The focus switches between different characters and narratives, creating a patchwork quilt that ultimately supports the documentary's narrative. The cinematography is like the film's visual superglue, holding together the narrative through stunning imagery. The score, beautifully performed by the Kronos Quartet, stirs your emotions, carrying you through anxiety and apprehension, ultimately delivering you back to the cradle of nature. This wasn't my observation, but it was too perfect not to include; this felt like the spiritual successor to KOYAANISQATSI, a 1982 experimental non-narrative film. Almada throws you a curveball when you think you have USERS figured out. The film starts to play a visual ping-pong game, highlighting the stark contrast between nature's tranquillity and industrial hustle. The Mexican city morphs into a symbol of industrial capitalism and neo-colonialism. But Almada doesn't just stop at the conflict between man and machine. The film ventures into an introspective exploration of motherhood in the digital age. What happens when devices become more than just devices? Can they replace humans, becoming the new norm for motherhood? These are the million-dollar questions Almada presents to her kids, representing the wide-eyed wonder of individuals trying to understand the world. Despite its narrative hurdles, USERS manages to captivate with a unique blend of art and inquiry, a visual feast served on the platter of familiar, natural, and industrial elements. I saw a lot of criticism pointing to the likes of Terrence Malick; I find his films insufferably dull. This had substance and, even with its stumbles, remained more on point than any of his "art" films. In a world where artificial intelligence is becoming the norm, USERS is a call urging us to revisit our place in this digital ecosystem. It reminds us of the potential effects of becoming overly reliant on technology, echoing some of the dystopian realities of classic sci-fi flicks. To wrap things up, USERS offers a gripping, albeit sometimes messy, portrayal of our ever-growing relationship with technology. This visually arresting narrative is a must-see for anyone looking to understand our brave new digital world. I wish the narrative had a deeper dive or meaning, but that doesn't take away from the experience. Technology is something we must all explore and grow with on our own. For more reviews, please visit – https://linktr.ee/Overlyhonestmoviereviews for more info. Follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Find my social media accounts on most platforms simply by searching Overly Honest Movie Reviews. I'm always happy to hear from my readers; please say hi or send me any questions about movies. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Christy Lemire RogerEbert.com Because “Users” is so captivating from a technical perspective, it’s frustrating to discover how scattered it is narratively. Rated: 2.5/4 Jun 9, 2023 Full Review Devika Girish New York Times The film is at its best when it allows its images and sounds to let us feel things without naming them. Jun 8, 2023 Full Review Wes Greene Slant Magazine The film’s triumph is keeping us on our toes by sending us into an ether where fear and wonder live hand in hand. Rated: 3.5/4 Jun 4, 2023 Full Review Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl ...[a] meditation about technology and how it is changing humanity, personalized by the director’s ruminations about her young son and the world he will face. Rated: 6/10 Sep 5, 2023 Full Review Michael Clark Epoch Times The film gave me a marked level of optimism and the belief that mankind has the will and, hopefully, the desire to return to a time when devices didn’t claim our attention so much that we forever lose touch with our fellow in-the-flesh human counterparts. Rated: 4.5/5 Aug 12, 2023 Full Review Charles Mudede The Stranger (Seattle, WA) It becomes clear that the deepest meaning of this documentary, Users, is the terrifying future that capitalism is presently preparing for our one and only planet... Jun 23, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A mother wonders: Will my children grow to love their perfect machines more than they love me? Intimate in scope and epic in scale, director Natalia Almada embarks on a cinematic journey into an invisible realm, where it is taken for granted that technological progress will always inspire social progress, and that ever-smarter machines will make humankind ever better. Constructed from stunning, immaculately rendered images and featuring a score performed by the Kronos Quartet, Users is an immersive journey into the heart of our changing relationship to the natural world.
      Director
      Natalia Almada
      Executive Producer
      Sean O'Grady, Bill Stertz, Charlotte Cook, Tony Hsieh, Kathryn Everett, Bryn Mooser, Noah Kadner, Rune Hansen, Mónica Reina
      Distributor
      Icarus Films
      Production Co
      XTR, Department of Motion Pictures, Atlas Industries, Altamura Films
      Genre
      Documentary
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Nov 25, 2022, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Sep 13, 2023
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