Absolute Dominion
In 100 minutes, writer-director Lexi Alexander (who previously directed “Green Street Hooligans” and “Punisher: War Zone,” both of which have found cult fanbases) attempts to tell a story not unlike the entirety of the “Hunger Games” series (the original book trilogy and movie quartet), and it’s not an uninteresting one. Using things like virality, issues of faith, and the tenuous idea of peace at its core, “Absolute Dominion” has a more compelling premise than its title presents, but unfortunately, it feels too ambitious in narrative scope for such a muted production. It does give us a lot to consider, though, which is what I hoped.
The year is 2044, and loud-mouth influencer Fix Huntley (Patton Oswalt) is spouting off from his home over camera. The world is in chaos, largely due to religious conflicts, and he throws out an idea almost off-hand- a fighting competition between combatants from all of the world’s religions. The winner determines the faith which will lead the world. The idea catches hold, and almost 20 years later, we follow as the idea takes hold, and the tournament- after years of debate and sorting out the rules- is finally ready to begin.
For most of the film, we are following a fight named Sagan Bruno (Désiré Mia) as he prepares to fight in the wild card tournament. Bruno and his family are humanists, and Sagan has been almost scientifically engineered to fight in this tournament. In his corner are his coach and his father (the latter of whom is played by Alex Winter), and his “mother,” a psychologist. There’s also his handler for the tournament, Naya (Andy Allo), who’s trying to keep him safe when he starts winning matches. For the woman overseeing the competition (Julie Ann Emery), the idea of a humanist- who represents atheism over God- winning almost undermines the entire concept of the competition. Even more so when it is leaked that Bruno may be having more religious thoughts than you’d expect.
On top of the competition itself- though not strictly a fight to the death- there is the flamboyant commentator Ceylon (Alok), who is not unlike Caesar in “The Hunger Games,” that led me to think of this in terms of Suzanne Collins’s world. (Though Ceylon will also likely remind people of Chris Tucker’s Ruby Rhod from “The Fifth Element.”) Alexander the writer has considered their own world thoughtfully and with interest, especially when it comes to the threat people of faith- or at least, people who feel like the world is best served by faith- feel from the idea of someone who doesn’t view faith as the end all of societal functioning being in charge. Unfortunately, the obvious budgetary limits of the film hamper its world building. When on the fighting mat, each match has some energy- not surprising, as Alexander used to be a kickboxer- but everything else feels very sterile and flat. That might be by design, given who the main characters are, but it keeps the world at a distance emotionally when we want to be engaged in it. It’s a shame, because “Absolute Dominion’s” ideas on the world are worth considering at this moment.
