While a Utopia is defined as a desirable imaginary society where everything is perfect and there is political harmony, a dystopia is an imaginary society that is undesirable and frightening. Despite the definitions being polar opposites, however, in most cases the dystopia and utopia occur simultaneously – it just depends on the protagonist’s (or filmmaker’s) perspective and position in the society. Ordinarily, the dystopian element is the means by which the society maintains it’s Utopian status – because it is unfair to a particular person or group.

In the Hunger Games, there has been no war for a hundred years, because the Capitol takes children from the districts and locks them in an arena to fight to the death. For the districts, it is horrible – seeing their children die every year. The Capitol plays off their fears and hopes in order to maintain control and stop another civil war.

But while the districts are living in a dystopia, the Capitol is wealthy, stable and joyous – they are living in a utopia.

 

In the case of the Hunger Games, the dystopian element was introduced in order to maintain the Utopia.

Likewise, in Gattaca, the genetic control is actually working really well – except for those who are born naturally and without gene editing.

So it’s a perfect society for most, but terrible for a select group of individuals.

Which also touches on the difference between a post-apocalyptic and a dystopian drama.

Though a dystopian society can occur in a post-apocalyptic world (meaning that they will have similar setting) – where lessons have been learnt from a disaster and the world has rebuilt and now runs differently, as is the case with The Hunger Games (there was a war before the Capitol set up the games, only North America remains), and Children of Men – where the government remains powerful despite natural disasters and global inability to have children – that is where the similarities stop.

The most obvious difference is what the dramatic question relates too – a dystopia is about ‘Man vs. Authority’, a post-apocalyptic film is ‘Man vs. Nature’, and while this theme might be more developed than that basic rule (The Lobster is more about a man trying to find love – but he is still motivated by the authorities consequences of being single, making it a dystopia, The Walking Dead is about people fighting against the zombie apocalypse – which is nature/brought on by the something out of man’s control) it does ring true for all circumstances.

And as far as themes go, post-apocalyptic dramas focus on survival, building something new and learning from past mistakes while dystopias look at oppression, abuse of power, class systems and the injustice, allowing for the two to be clearly defined.

This has all made me realise one thing – though I love dystopias, some of the aesthetic that I was going for was actually more post apocalyptic than dystopian, as dystopias tend to be in societies that are developed – though the underdog protagonist might end up in survival-type situation.

So although dystopias are great in narrative, they are more difficult to impose into a short film.

Which is pushing me further to idea of having my short rotate more around the test and what psychological horrors it involves, rather than having the society outside included.