Playtime
By Kit Macdonald
Playtime was the most expensive French film ever made when it came out in 1967, and takes place in a giant set constructed on the outskirts of Paris dubbed “Tativille". With these considerable resources, Tati constructed an extraordinary world where technology and bureaucracy create absurd inefficiencies, with characters struggling to navigate a city designed for function over human connection. The way the film was made offers multiple storylines to follow in each scene, and therefore it rewards repeat viewing like no other, lending a rich interactive element.
Watch out for the celebrated restaurant scene, which takes place in a high-tech eaterie and finds a pristine environment slowly descending into playful chaos. It captures the film's central theme: humanity’s resilience in the face of an overwhelming, mechanical world, a theme that, needless to say, feels more relevant than ever now.