HyperNormalisation
Adam Curtis turns decades of political upheaval, media imagery, and conspiracy thinking into a disorienting essay about a world that has mistaken unreality for normality.
Overview
A deep dive into the chaos of modern politics and society, revealing the hidden truths behind our perceived normality.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Moderate
- ominous
- searching
- disorienting
- focused solo viewing
- political discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly found the documentary ambitious, engrossing, and intellectually provocative, while disputing the coherence and reliability of its sweeping thesis.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Curtis connects footage of Trump, Putin, Reagan, Kissinger, Syria, Brexit, and migrant crises through a sustained voiceover thesis.
The film argues that western societies have retreated into simplified and often fake versions of the world that become accepted as normal.
Its central premise is that politicians and institutions are unable to understand or manage chaotic events such as Brexit, Trump, Syria, and random attacks.
The film recontextualizes widely known political moments within an engrossing, deliberately disorientating world narrative.
Films like HyperNormalisation, and why
The Century of the Self
essayistic political documentary, archival collage, and critique of power and ideology
The Power of Nightmares
revisionist political history, dense archival montage, and skepticism toward official narratives
The Pervert's Guide to Ideology
meditative documentary essay using historical images and voiceover to examine modern political systems
The Fog of War
contemporary geopolitical uncertainty, conspiratorial thinking, and unsettling documentary investigation
Movie Details
- Director
- Adam Curtis
- Release Date
- 2016-10-25
- Runtime
- 167 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (167)
Cast
- Adam Curtis
- Donald Trump
- Vladimir Putin
- Ronald Reagan
- Henry Kissinger
- Gordon Brown
- Jane Fonda
- Ivana Trump
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Tony Blair
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is HyperNormalisation about?
- Adam Curtis turns decades of political upheaval, media imagery, and conspiracy thinking into a disorienting essay about a world that has mistaken unreality for normality.
- What is HyperNormalisation like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of HyperNormalisation as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is HyperNormalisation violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in HyperNormalisation as moderate.
- What did critics think of HyperNormalisation?
- Critics broadly found the documentary ambitious, engrossing, and intellectually provocative, while disputing the coherence and reliability of its sweeping thesis.
- Which films are like HyperNormalisation?
- Films with a similar feel include The Century of the Self, The Power of Nightmares, The Pervert's Guide to Ideology, and The Fog of War.
- How long is HyperNormalisation?
- HyperNormalisation runs 167 minutes.
- Where can I watch HyperNormalisation?
- In United States, HyperNormalisation is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
