How to get to the planet of the rich if you live on the planet of the poor: the meaning of the film Upside Down (2011): the plot of the film, the explained of the ending, similar movies.
Country: Canada, France
Genre: fantasy, melodrama, drama
Year of production: 2011
Director: Juan Diego Solanas
Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Jim Sturgess, Timothy Spall
Slogan: “Fall to fly”
The plot of the film Upside Down tells the story of two planets located next to each other. Essentially, these are two different worlds, and one of them is a subtle parody of the other. Which one is real and which one is just a reflection, the viewer will have to decide for himself.
What is the movie about
Brief description of the contents of the picture. At the center of the plot is the idea of confrontation between two worlds, upper and lower. In the first there is wealth and prosperity, and in the second there is poverty and hunger.
Each person, regardless of where he lives, has his own force of attraction. Contacts between both universes are strictly prohibited, and the movement of people is strictly monitored by regulatory authorities. The connection between both universes is maintained only by the Transmir corporation. But its activities boil down only to pumping resources from the lower world…
In such an environment lives a young man named Adam. As a child, he met Eden, a girl from the upper world. The guys became friends, and as they grew up, they fell in love with each other.
One day, a couple in love was noticed by intelligence officers. Their attack and Adam’s careless actions resulted in Eden falling onto a cliff in her world. Adam himself was separated from his only relative – elderly Aunt Becky, thanks to whose indirect influence the guy met Eden.
Another ten years pass. The matured Adam works at a cosmetology company and is working on developing anti-aging pollen. One day a TV show is shown on TV in which jobs in Transworld are being played out for the inhabitants of the lower world. The stunned Adam sees Eden on the other side of the screen and cannot believe his eyes – he was sure that she died many years ago. Now the girl works at Transmir and Adam sees the point in trying to get a job there.
In the end, he succeeds. He works on the ground floor – at the junction of both worlds. Adam’s cooperation with the corporation does not please his friend Albert, not least because he gave it all his work on rejuvenating pollen. Albert is sure that Adam simply betrayed his world, because the development of a unique cosmetic product would give them all a chance for a better life.
Soon Adam meets Bo. He collects stamps and asks the young man to get one rare copy – according to his information, it is in the lower world. He agrees, and in return asks Bo to lend him a jacket and shirt from the upper world. He also steals several ingots, with the help of which he hopes to move freely around the upper world, without fear of his own gravity.
Rising to the top floor, Adam meets with Eden, but the girl greets him rather coldly. The answer to her indifference is simple: she simply does not remember him, because after the fall she lost her memory. A few days later, the company’s management fires several employees, including Bo. He gives his friend some of his things and among them is a pass to the upper world and, just in case, his address.
A little later, Eden decides to call Adam, whom she, however, knows as Bo, because while traveling between worlds he used a colleague’s pass. She was worried about him – after all, he suddenly disappeared then and never appeared on the floor again… And then she invites him to have lunch together.
In the restaurant, the young man again tries to make Eden remember him, but she sees some kind of bad meaning in his persistence, and she gets scared. However, Adam apologizes and in turn invites her to dinner.
A few days later, the corporation holds a presentation of an anti-aging cream developed by Adam. Before everyone’s eyes, elderly ladies turn into young, lovely girls. Soon Eden appears in the hall. The shy guy (for her he is still Bo) turns away from the audience, but the girl recognizes him and tries to clarify who he is. Adam says his name and Eden leaves, angry. Trying to catch up with her, he completely reveals himself and the corporation’s employees begin to pursue him. Meanwhile, Eden, while in his apartment, suddenly remembers his first love…
In desperation, Adam turns to Bo and he helps him again – thanks to a special vest in which the bullion can be hidden, he can walk around the upper world without fear.
He meets again with Eden, who practically remembered him. At this moment, police appear at the restaurant they are in, but the young man escapes pursuit. After some time, they both come to the same place where they met many years ago. Border guards notice them and begin pursuit, during which Adam falls from a great height. Thanks to the vest with ingots, he remains alive. Meanwhile, Eden is detained by border guards…
Upside Down Ending explained
Explanation of the ending of the picture. Towards the end, employees of the corporation find Adam and demand that he give up the formula for the anti-aging cream. Otherwise, Eden will go to prison.
A few days later, Bo appears in the lower world. The friends happily meet, and the old man reports that he has improved Adam’s formula. But that’s not the only reason he came – he brought a message from Eden with the address of the restaurant where she is waiting for him. The young man rushes to run, and Bo shouts after him that he sold all his brands and acquired a patent for an anti-aging cream.
Arriving at the restaurant, Adam is waiting for Eden, who suddenly appears from the lower world and informs him about her pregnancy. The meaning of the ending of the film Upside Down is probably that now they do not need any “conspiracy”: now Eden and Adam can be in the same world. And they’ll probably work for Bo’s company.
History is silent about how exactly Eden ended up pregnant (she and Adam saw each other only in fits and starts). But, according to the widespread interpretation, the matter could not have happened without Bo’s “improved formula.”
The meaning of the film Upside Down
According to the majority of viewers who analyzed the film, Upside Down is a fairly typical story, although the idea with planets is very original. There is hardly any need to look for hidden meaning here – everything lies on the surface. Nevertheless, this is quite a worthy work in its genre.
However, this film cannot be considered “pure” science fiction. The plot is based on the confrontation between the rich and the poor – after all, they, in fact, really live in different worlds. Love between representatives of these parallel universes is theoretically possible, but people who decide to take a serious step risk facing stigmatization. However, if two people love each other, rejection by society is the last thing they care about…
This is not to say that Adam is an ordinary guy. He is a kind of modern Cinderella in pants with a fairy godmother in the form of Bo and amazing skills that help him break into the upper world. Faith in his dream helps him to withstand all obstacles and achieve his goal. His cherished desire inspires the creation of a substance that breaks the usual ideas about the laws of interaction between two worlds. Yes, the law of gravity cannot be canceled. However, the unspoken law of double standards of life exists only in the human mind.
The plot of the film itself suggests that parallel worlds are only a metaphor for the earthly world order. Therefore, this film can be called a dystopia – after all, the path from the bottom to the top is only possible if the person is a genius. But even at the same time, the upper world can only use him, and will never recognize him as an equal.
The only thing that can overcome the obstacles created is true love. The romantic story of a boy and a girl from different universes once again proves that it is the one who can change the world. This is probably the point of the film.
Similar films
Here are several films similar to Upside Down in meaning and plot:
- “Time” (USA, 2011). Will lives in a world where the only currency is time. One day he commits a crime…
- “Changing Reality” (USA, 2011). Congressman David Norris is going against the system and facing grave danger.
- “Gattaca” (USA, 1997). Gattaca is a perfect world. However, many people think differently…
- “Elysium: Heaven is not on Earth” (USA, Canada, 2013). Distant future. The war between rich and poor is reaching its climax.
