2081 (film)

2081 is a 2009 short science fiction film which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 29, 2009. It is directed and written by Chandler Tuttle, based on the short story Harrison Bergeron by author Kurt Vonnegut. The cast is led by James Cosmo, Julie Hagerty, and Armie Hammer. The story paints a picture through the use of hyperbole of a future in which a powerful, dictatorial government goes to extreme measures to ensure that absolute equality exists between every individual.

Following closely with Vonneguts original story, 2081 begins with George and Hazel Bergeron parents of the exceptionally strong, intelligent, handsome Harrison Bergeron sitting in their living room, watching the ballet on television. George carries many handicaps, wearing an earpiece and heavy weights to counteract his intelligence and strength, respectively. Hazel, being perfectly average and capable of only carrying thoughts in short bursts, wears none.Six years prior, Harrison was taken in a raid on their home by a SWAT team from the office of the Handicapper General. Sitting in his sofa, George tries to think about the event, but cant quite bring himself to recall exactly what happened in between the painful intermittent bursts sent through his earpiece. He continues to watch the ballet instead. The ballet is interrupted by a government news report being read by a news anchor with a severe speech impediment about the escaped fugitive Harrison Bergeron. George watches the report with a hint of interest. The report concludes and returns to the regularly scheduled ballet, featuring delicate ballerinas heavily weighed down to ensure that they are only as graceful as the average person. Just then, loud stomps can be heard approaching the stage, as the ballerinas cower in terror. Harrison Bergeron marches down the aisle and leaps onto the stage with a heavy thud, almost unhindered by the weight of his massive handicaps. In a deviation from Vonneguts story, he begins his address to the audience in the theater and those watching at home by claiming to have a bomb under the stage, the detonator to which he holds in his hand. The audience listens to his address in shock as he peels off his handicaps and chooses a volunteer ballerina to do the same. He takes her hand, and for a few brief moments, the two dance, unhindered, as the audience watches, mystified by the pairs unbridled grace and elegance. ........

Source: Wikipedia