Dystopian works have always been successful in literature, cinema, or TV. The genre, which portrays stories that take place in an uncomfortable future, usually reflects political and social issues, showing a population, or at least part of it, that is oppressed by the state, by technological changes, or by catastrophes that have occurred. For those interested in plots like this, we list 10 Netflix original dystopian movies and series that have everything to hold your attention. Check out their synopses and trailers!
I Am Mother (2019), Grant Sputore
Years after a mysterious event wipes out the world’s population, a robot known as Mother creates the first of a new generation of humans. Daughter was trained in advanced engineering and has medical skills and knowledge of moral philosophy. She believes the world has been ravaged by disease thanks to humans’ self-destructive behavior. When an injured woman appears in the bunker’s airlock, begging for help and giving conflicting information about Mother, Daughter begins to question who is telling the truth.
Bird Box (2018), Susanne Bier
The world is invaded by invisible creatures that cause people to die. After witnessing the loss of her sister, Malorie, who is pregnant, takes refuge in a house with other survivors. As they try to resist the unknown evil, the film intersperses scenes from the future, which show Malorie traveling through a river in the middle of a forest five years later with two young children, whom she refers to only as a boy and a girl. In the unfolding of the plot, the intention is to show how she managed to survive and where she is going with the children.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Denis Villeneuve
Blade runner K discovers that replicants can biologically reproduce when he finds the remains of a pregnant female. The secret could start a war between artificial intelligence and humans. In his investigation, K identifies the replicant as Rachel and discovers that she has a relationship with Rick Deckard, another blade runner. To prevent the secret from being revealed, he must find the former agent and destroy all evidence. Midway through his journey, he wonders if he has created himself or was born from another replicant.
What Happened to Monday (2017), Tommy Wirkola
The world is overpopulated, and each family has the right to only one child. After septuplets are born, the father of the identical twins creates a plan to keep the children alive. They must hide inside the house while one goes out each day of the week. They all pretend to be the same person. As adults, one of them disappears. The sisters have to investigate what happened to Monday.
Divergent (2014), Neil Burger
Divergent takes place in a future where people are divided into different factions based on their personalities. The protagonist, Tris, is revealed to be a “Divergent” – someone who does not fit into any one faction and is therefore seen as a threat to the status quo. When Tris chooses to leave her family and join the Dauntless faction, she finds herself embroiled in a power struggle that threatens to tear the society apart. Along the way, Tris discovers the truth about her past and the sinister forces manipulating the factions for their own ends. The movie is about Tris’ journey of self-discovery and her fight to protect the ones she loves, ultimately leading to a battle to overthrow the corrupt leadership and restore freedom to the society.
The Maze Runner(2014), Wes Ball
A group of teenagers wakes up in an elevator without memory of their past. They find themselves in a place called the Glade, surrounded by a giant maze that changes every night. The movie follows the protagonist, Thomas, as he arrives in the Glade and quickly becomes embroiled in the mystery of the maze and the organization that seems to be controlling it. Along with his fellow Gladers, Thomas sets out to find a way out of the maze and uncover the truth about their captivity.
The Platform (2019), Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
“The Platform” is a kind of vertical prison with hundreds of floors, where people are placed to be punished or in exchange for something they really want. A platform descends in the center of the place where the food is placed. Meals are offered from the top down, providing plenty for those on the upper floors and scarcity for those on the bottom. Duos are distributed per floor at random and rotated each month.
Anon (2018), Andrew Niccol
In a future where there is no privacy or anonymity, memories are recorded, and criminality becomes something rare due to the fact that ‘victims’ memories can be easily accessed, quickly solving cases. Coming across a series of unsolved murders, Detective Sal Frieland discovers a young woman who appears to have subverted the system and is missing. She has no identity, history, or record.
Ghost in the Shell (2017), Rupert Sanders
In a future of cybernetic enhancement, Major Mira was rescued in an attack on a refugee boat that left her critically injured. Government-funded Hanka Industries inserted her mind into a completely artificial body. She works as an agent in Section 9, an anti-terrorism division led by Aramaki. Major begins to experience “glitches,” such as visual and auditory hallucinations that make her paranoid. When the terrorist Section 9 is hunting, Kuze warns her not to trust Hanka Industries and Major searches for the truth behind its existence.
The Hunger Games (2012), Gary Ross
An oppressive government forces children to compete in a brutal annual event called the Hunger Games. The story follows the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from District 12 who volunteers to take her younger sister’s place in the games. Along with her fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark, she is sent to the Capitol to compete in a fight to the death against other children from different districts.