Equilibrium (2002)

The American science fiction film Equilibrium (2002), written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, follows the story of survivors of World War III in a totalitarian city-state called Libria. In this city, all forms of human emotion are blamed for causing conflicts, leading to strict bans on anything that can stimulate emotions. Those who disobey these laws are known as Sense Offenders and face a death sentence. The citizens must also take a daily injection of Prozium II, an emotion-suppressing drug. Governed by the Tetragrammaton Council, led by ‘Father’, propaganda is spread through large video screens. The police force, known as Grammaton Clerics, are highly trained in gun kata and frequently raid homes to search for and destroy any illegal materials such as art, literature, and music. Those caught breaking the law are executed immediately. However, a group called the ‘Underground’ has risen in opposition to Father and the Tetragrammaton Council.

In 2072, John Preston holds a high rank as a Cleric. Tragically, his wife Viviana was put to death for being a Sense Offender, leaving him alone to raise their two children. During a raid, Preston’s partner Errol Partridge chooses to save a book of poems by W. B. Yeats instead of turning it in for destruction. When Preston finds him reading the book in the Nether – an area outside the city – Partridge defends his decision, claiming he is willing to pay the consequences of experiencing emotions. In response, Preston executes him. Unfortunately, during the confrontation, Preston’s last vial of Prozium is accidentally broken and he cannot replenish his supply before the next raid. As a result, fleeting moments of emotion begin to surface in Preston’s otherwise controlled existence, bringing forth memories and heightened awareness of his surroundings.