By Alastair JR Ball
A future where people live sustainable lives, cook for their neighbours, look after communal gardens and watch dog grooming videos together sounds pretty solarpunk. This is the world of international film Remote, the second of our dives into solarpunk films.
Eating a sustainably produced delicious dinner [IMAGE:Remote, film still]
Remote has all the hallmarks of a low budget, independent film. It mainly takes place in one set and focuses on one actor, indeed all scenes take place inside the characters’ homes. The plot also focuses more on character relations and less on action.
Remote is an international film, where characters speak many languages, set in Kuala Lumpur. The plot follows a woman called Unoaku (Okwui Okpokwasili) as she lives her daily routine in a solarpunk near future. Unoaku discovers hidden clues in a Korean woman’s online dog grooming videos, which lead her to meet other women in a virtual social environment and together they try to solve the mystery of these clues.
Watching a dog grooming livestream in the solarpunk future [IMAGE: Remote, film still]
There is a strong case for Remote being a solarpunk film. It’s set in a world that has the solarpunk aesthetic. Unoaku’s flat is full of plants and one room is carpeted with grass. From what we learn about the wider society of Remote, this is a more sustainable future; for example, the packaging for an instant noodle dinner forms part of the recipe (thus reducing waste) and at one point Unoaku eats snacks from an edible packet.
Unoaku has a communal, reciprocal relationship with her neighbours, whom she cooks for. A communal garden moves through her flat on a conveyor belt, which means she tends for and gets produce from different plants each day; as well as having different plants in her flat to look at.
Exercising over a grass floor [IMAGE: Remote, film still]
The solarpunk world shown in Remote looks beautiful. The art direction nails a solarpunk aesthetic, with a colourful vibrant primary coloured palette. The food shown in the film also looks delicious. It was enjoyable to watch a science fiction film set in a world filled with life and colour, in contrast to many recent grey dystopian films.
In our article What Is Solarpunk? One Thing or Many? we said that a solarpunk story needs to be set in a more sustainable and socially just world. We also identified many different shades of solarpunk within this definition. So, what shade is Remote?
Remote has elements of the Rooted Solar shade, in that this world of the film could happen as there is no advanced technology that doesn’t exist today. Even the scenes that take place in the virtual world, more closely resemble chat apps from the 2000s than the meta-verses of today, and they are a long way from fully immersive cyberpunk virtual worlds.
Remote film poster
This film is also on the Happier end of the solarpunk spectrum, as there is no conflict between characters or conflict against wider social, political or environmental forces. The plot focuses on a group of women coming together to solve a mystery. The stakes are low and there is never a sense that they are in danger.
If there is a case against this film being solarpunk, it’s that we are not shown how socially just the world is. There is little to see of the world outside the characters' flats. Although the film is stronger for not having heavy handed exposition about the wider world. The film does show women from all over the world working together without cultural or racial animosity.
Watching dog grooming together in a solarpunk future [IMAGE: Remote, film still]
The other point against this film being solarpunk, is the film’s use of magical realism in its ending. I will avoid spoilers, but I will say that a form of magic is introduced that is not explained. Some viewers might be put off by magic being introduced into a film that is attempting to be a realistic portrait of a sustainable future, however there is no indication that magic has been used to improve the climate.
Remote is slow paced, gentle and, although the main plot is a mystery, it doesn’t have a conclusive explanation at its climax. This is sometimes referred to as the “art house non-ending”.
More conflict and less magic would have made a more engaging film. My personal taste is towards the more Thrilling Solar shade, which tends to be more exciting, such as our own SolarPunk Detective episode 1. This conflict doesn’t need to be violent, but does create a more accessible engaging story. The lack of explanation, the slow pace and the lack of drama might put some viewers off this film.
That said, I did like this film. It has a lighthearted whimsy that made me smile throughout, which reminded me of Amélie. I do enjoy slow, art films without explanation or resolution when I’m in the right mood. The solarpunk aspects of this film are what I enjoyed the most and it was an interesting depiction of a Rooted, Happier Solar world. Although, I was left feeling that Thrilling Solar, being a more accessible shade, might be better for spreading the message of solarpunk.
Alastair JR Ball is the Chief Editor of SolarPunk Stories and the co-host of the Moderate Fantasy Violence podcast and editor of the Red Train Blog.