Film Review: ‘Users’

With great imagery and little dialogue, Almada's documentary is a feast for the senses

NR | 1h 20min | Documentary, Technology, Nature | 09 June 2023 (USA/Mexico)

Back in April, I reviewed two documentaries (“Matter Out of Place” and “River”) for The Epoch Times. Each focused on ecology, climate change, and the supreme lack of urgency that we humans possess in doing anything to rectify these “sky is falling” issues. Both movies also featured next to no dialogue or narration and depended purely on visual imagery (some of it admittedly spectacular) to make their points.

Natalia Almada wrote, directed, edited, narrated, and produced the documentary “Users.” (Icarus Films)

In many ways, writer-director-producer-editor-narrator Natalia Almada’s “Users” bears a strong visual resemblance to these two other films, yet it contains almost completely different subject matter. It includes very few spoken words and depends heavily on its imagery to relay its messages.

The big differences, however, are that “Users” is excellent and doesn’t wag any tsk-tsk fingers at the audience, or pass judgment on the issues one way or another. It’s one of the most unbiased and original documentaries I’ve ever seen.

The main plot point in “Users” is Almada’s concern with the proliferation of modern technology as it applies to parenting in general and her role as a mother in particular. She says at the start: “Will they [her children] love technology more for its perfection than me with my imperfections?”

It’s a fair enough question and one that every parent with minor children who love electronic devices should be asking.

The Kubrick Connection

The start of the film contains some of its most impactful images when blue and red circular moving images against a black backdrop appear, bearing an unmistakable likeness to HAL from Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” This cinematic connection is furthered when one of Almada’s sons is shown, appearing to look directly into the camera.

Chantal Akerman's son stares into a computer screen. (Icarus Films)

Computer images reflecting on the face of Dave (Kier Dullea) in "2001: A Space Odyssey." (Warner Bros.)

As it turns out, the changing colors projected on his face show that the boy is looking at a computer screen. It is eerily reminiscent of another scene showing the Dave character from “2001” having a foreboding interaction with an off-screen HAL.

It is entirely possible that this was not Almada’s intent, but that was my own takeaway, and it is just one of many passages that can be interpreted differently by individual viewers. Almada is not telling you what to think; she’s showing you something that all but demands you come to your own conclusions.

The Wraparound

After a brief but highly enlightening observation of the properties and quantities of the world’s water, Almada drops (to me, at least) a mind-blowing factoid. The circumference of the Earth is a tad over 40,000 kilometers, and there are enough fiber optic cables in the oceans to wind around the planet 30-plus times. Wrap your head around that.

For the duration, Almada and cinematographer Bennett Cerf employ still, moving, and aerial drone cameras to capture a multitude of stunningly breathtaking images that, in and of themselves, might seem unrelated. I won’t give away anything to reveal that these symmetric images are horizontal and move from right to left. For example, Almada and Cerf follow a moving train and cut the scene in half with a distant still shot of cattle walking past a barn.

Again, my take is that so much of what Almada and Cerf suggest carries a deeper parallel connection. The right-to-left horizontal movement suggests forward progress; optimism will eventually conquer pessimism.

Toward the end of the third act, Almada appears on-screen for the first time, and I won’t get even close to revealing what her ultimate point is. But it is safe to say that it will certainly floor you, and force you to reevaluate what you might have seen and heard over the course of the previous 70 minutes.

Another factor involved in the overall success of “Users” is the eclectic score composed by Dave Cerf and performed by the legendary Kronos Quartet. From electronic to ambient to traditional strings, the music is a de facto character and further enhances the production’s hypnotic, dreamlike quality.

Viewer’s Choice

If it wasn’t already obvious, “Users” is certainly not for everyone. Almada does not hold our collective hand and explain her intent. She’s counting on and hoping for you to come to your own conclusions.

“Users” got my vote because it’s great filmmaking and carries an uplifting message. Underscored by a moving and inspirational final scene, the film gave me a marked level of optimism and the belief that mankind has the will and, hopefully, the desire to return to a time when devices didn’t claim our attention so much that we forever lose touch with our fellow in-the-flesh human counterparts.

"Users," directed by Natalia Almada, asks parents to consider how their children use electronic devices. (Icarus Films)

“Users” is presented in English and Spanish subtitles.

The film opens at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City on June 9 and at the Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles on June 16 with a national expansion to follow.

‘Users’ Documentary Director: Natalia Almada Running Time: 1 hour, 21 minutes MPAA Rating: Not Rated Release Date: June 9, 2023 Rating: 4.5 out of 5