Raoul Peck grew up under dictatorship. His new film on Orwell warns us what comes next

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It’s unusual to feel scared at the Cannes Film Festival watching a movie about a deceased British author. But that changes if the author is George Orwell.

When Raoul Peck’s documentary, “Orwell: 2+2=5,” first screened at the festival in May, the audience was visibly shocked, reacting with gasps and whispers before erupting into enthusiastic applause. It felt more like watching a scary movie than a documentary.

The film felt strangely both recognizable and shockingly relevant. Director Peck crafted the entire movie using only George Orwell’s own words, powerfully spoken by actor Damian Lewis. It reimagines Orwell, during his final, illness-ridden days on a Scottish island, as a present-day observer. His insights into power, manipulation, and the use of language are paired with current events – images of refugees, dishonest leaders, and the disorienting effects of artificial intelligence. The film, releasing Friday, doesn’t feel like a typical documentary, but rather a haunting experience, like watching Orwell’s predictions come true. It’s urgent, unrelenting, and deeply unsettling, much like a nightmare.

Peck says the Cannes reception didn’t surprise him.

From his New York Zoom call, 72-year-old Peck, who is based in Paris and travels often, explained he expected the film to provoke a strong reaction. His voice, marked by a slight French accent and a sense of weariness from years of observing recurring historical patterns, reflected a broader concern. “This isn’t just an American issue; it’s global,” he said. “There’s a lack of strong leadership and accountability everywhere, and even our most established institutions are vulnerable.” Peck believed the film would strongly affect viewers, either challenging their beliefs or inspiring them to think critically. “If you’re an ordinary person,” he stated, “it should make you question things.”

Peck’s film avoids typical documentary narration and expert commentary about Orwell, who passed away in 1950. Instead, it relies on Orwell’s own writings – his letters, diaries, and novels like “Animal Farm” and “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” The film creatively blends these sources with clips from previous film adaptations of Orwell’s work, including the 1954 animated “Animal Farm” and Michael Radford’s 1984 film starring John Hurt. These are then juxtaposed with modern footage of drone warfare, surveillance technology, and the influence of algorithms.

Lewis, speaking from London over Zoom while often cycling near where Orwell once lived, praises the film as remarkably detailed. He describes it as rich with both ideas and visuals, leaving viewers with a sense of having experienced something meaningful.

Sam Lewis powerfully delivers Orwell’s message, starting with a serious tone that increasingly conveys a sense of danger, and believes Orwell’s warnings are even more critical today.

He recently learned that around 37% of the world’s countries are considered unfree, which is alarmingly close to half the globe. As the film highlights – and as Orwell recognized long ago – authoritarianism doesn’t take hold suddenly. It gradually emerges, often through the manipulation of language, where terms like ‘democracy’ are twisted to suit those in power.

Filmmaker Raoul Peck consistently blends artistic vision with political advocacy. He was born in Haiti and, as a child, his family escaped the dictatorship of François Duvalier in 1961. He spent his childhood in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where his father worked for the United Nations. After studying engineering and economics in Berlin, Peck returned to Haiti and served as its Minister of Culture in the 1990s. He gained widespread recognition with his 2016 film, “I Am Not Your Negro,” which was nominated for an Academy Award and used the writings of James Baldwin to explore issues of race and power in America and its history. He continued this examination in the 2021 HBO documentary series, “Exterminate All the Brutes,” which investigated the origins of empire and white supremacy and their lasting impact on the world.

For filmmaker Peck, art and politics are inseparable. He explains, “I don’t think I’d even start a project if I couldn’t combine the two.” He points to George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ as a prime example – the first time Orwell consciously tried to blend political ideas with artistic expression, something Peck has strived for throughout his entire career.

Orwell is one of the most quoted – and often misinterpreted – writers of all time. Concepts he created, like Newspeak (language controlled by the government) and doublethink (believing two opposing things simultaneously), are still widely discussed today. Everyone seems to claim him as their own: politicians use his name to create fear, commentators twist his words to support their arguments, and people simply label anything they dislike as “Orwellian.” Notably, even President Trump once mentioned Orwell alongside literary giants like Shakespeare and Dickens.

Asked what Orwell would make of that, Peck gives a small, mirthless laugh.

He likely would have offered a slight smile, the speaker explains, because that’s precisely what the author explored – the way thinking can distort language, and language can distort thinking. We’re now facing a massive increase in deceptive language, where those in power use words like ‘justice’ and ‘peace’ while simultaneously causing harm. It’s a complete contradiction, and that’s why the speaker feels such a connection to the author. Having grown up in Haiti, he quickly realized that politicians’ words rarely aligned with the truth of everyday life.

Peck approached the project with some hesitation. He explains, “I wasn’t initially eager to work with Orwell.” Growing up in Zaire under the U.S.-supported Mobutu Sese Seko and later studying in America and Europe, Peck had noticed how Orwell’s work had been used and sometimes distorted, particularly during the Cold War. He points to examples like the CIA’s involvement in the 1954 animated film ‘Animal Farm’ and the general use of Orwell’s books as propaganda.

“I wasn’t really drawn to that,” Peck explains. “Growing up, I always questioned and took apart everything coming from Western culture, even things like Hollywood films.”

Shortly after, Alex Gibney, an Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker known for “Taxi to the Dark Side,” contacted him. Gibney’s team had acquired the rights to all of George Orwell’s writings and wanted Peck to direct a project based on them.

He remembers thinking, ‘I couldn’t refuse.’ As a director who enjoys truly understanding and exploring a subject, he considered the opportunity a wonderful chance.

Peck discovered that Orwell wasn’t a visionary figure, but a complex man grappling with issues of social class, personal illness, and the impact of the British Empire. He attempted to combine political ideas with artistic expression, but his life was cut short. Seeing a photo of Orwell as an infant, held by his Burmese nanny, was particularly revealing – it highlighted the power dynamics of the empire, with a white child being cared for by a woman from the colonized population. Orwell, who came from a comfortable but not excessively wealthy background, increasingly understood how he was unintentionally supporting a system he ultimately opposed, realizing he was essentially a cog in a machine of oppression.

Peck explains that a shared past connected him to the other man. Both had witnessed difficult experiences – Peck through his own life, and the other man as a young soldier first in India and then Burma, with actions he later regretted. This common background created a sense of understanding between them; they came from the same world and had seen similar things.

To embody Orwell, Peck turned to Lewis, also known for “Band of Brothers” and “Homeland.”

Peck explains he wasn’t aiming for a typical documentary, but rather a narrative storytelling approach. He needed a strong British actor, someone comfortable with performing, and believed Damian Lewis could embody Orwell himself, not just mimic him. His key direction to Lewis was to build the character from the inside out.

Lewis had previously given a voice to George Orwell for the Talking Statues project, an app where people could scan a QR code and hear historical figures talk. He brought that same careful and understated approach to this longer performance.

He explains that the way the writing is worded and its natural flow directly influence how it should be spoken. The director, Raoul, wanted a delivery that felt close and like a personal conversation, avoiding anything stiff or overly proper. The team focused on achieving that – a style that’s straightforward, precise, rich in detail, and feels deeply personal.

“Orwell: 2+2=5” often feels like a dream, blending Orwell’s writing with current events like the devastation in Gaza and Ukraine. The filmmaker, Peck, explains that with so many conflicts happening around the world, she focused on finding common threads – how people are treated, and how those in power act – to connect everything.

During a particularly powerful scene, the filmmaker connects Orwell’s concerns about political language to a series of modern-day euphemisms like “peacekeeping operations,” “collateral damage,” and “illegals.” He then deliberately adds “antisemitism 2024” to make a point: words can be manipulated and lose their impact, even when discussing sensitive topics like the war in Gaza. He acknowledges this addition is meant to be provocative, but believes it’s necessary to highlight this danger.

Peck is very careful with his word choice. He avoids generalizations like ‘the Jews’ or ‘Israel,’ instead specifically referring to ‘the Israeli administration.’ However, he notes that even this precise language still feels sensitive and difficult to discuss openly.

The scene received applause at the Cannes Film Festival. A close friend of Peck’s – a Jewish writer who shares his political views – later told him that while she was touched by the film, the audience’s applause had briefly frightened her.

Peck explained that the phrase is now off-limits in France. He believes this inability to freely express opinions is a worrying sign – a signal of things to come.

He remembers being in New York City after the 9/11 attacks, and feeling conflicted about the strong surge of patriotism and eagerness for military action. He says he, like many others, was deeply moved by the events, but felt uncomfortable being asked to publicly display support for war so quickly. He believes this demand for outward displays of patriotism was a way to stifle any dissenting opinions or meaningful discussion.

Peck updates Orwell’s famous warning for today’s digital world. The author’s writing is paired with images and voices created by artificial intelligence, reflecting the future Orwell predicted.

Peck points out that he predicted today’s AI technology years ago, even before it was known as ‘AI.’ He envisioned a future where artificial intelligence could write entire books and newspapers – a prediction that’s now coming true.

As a fan, I found it really interesting how Peck sees this new technology as a real fight for what’s true and who has control. What I especially loved in his film is that he’s totally upfront about everything created by AI – there’s text on the screen clearly showing you what’s been generated by artificial intelligence. It’s a really thoughtful way to handle it.

He emphasized the need for openness regarding AI development. He warned that if clear rules aren’t established quickly, the negative consequences could be irreversible. Currently, he believes the pursuit of profit is the only driving force, and there’s a lack of oversight regarding AI’s effects on crucial areas like energy, children, and education. He insists AI should remain a tool for human use, rather than the other way around.

Books

Sandra Newman has reimagined George Orwell’s ‘1984’ as ‘Julia,’ offering a feminist perspective on the famous dystopian novel. The Orwell estate approved this new interpretation.

While his film, “Orwell: 2+2=5,” is being released, director Andrew Peck is already starting work on two new documentaries. One of these will focus on the 2021 assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse.

He describes the current global political situation as a complicated disaster, saying he’s constantly learning new, troubling details. He feels drained by the constant stream of information from documentaries and thinks he needs a break to return to writing fiction. Despite the exhaustion, he’s grateful to be so dedicated to his work and hopes everyone can find that same level of passion in their own careers.

Despite the bleakness of his work, Peck always includes a small element of hope. He references a quote from George Orwell’s *Nineteen Eighty-Four*, stating that hope, if it exists, rests with the common people.

He believes everyday people – citizens, students, churches, and groups working together – are the ones who ultimately create positive change, pointing to the civil rights movement as an example. He notes that people of all backgrounds came together to plan a strategy for progress. While achieving change is often a slow and difficult process, he emphasizes that the opportunity to make a difference still exists, and it’s up to each of us, both as individuals and as a community, to choose to act.

What keeps him going, he says, isn’t optimism so much as duty.

I think what really keeps him going is his connection to the real world. He’s said that if he just focused on his own life, he’d probably be struggling. But he still has close friends back in Congo, and he’s actively involved with Haiti every single day. He even talks regularly to journalists who are putting their lives on the line in places like Gaza. He just can’t allow himself to feel sorry for himself when he sees what they’re still doing, day in and day out. It’s their dedication that keeps *him* going, and honestly, it inspires me too.

He stopped, his voice becoming strained. “It’s easy to laugh at the president’s latest actions,” he said, “but that’s how dictatorships begin. He’s systematically undermining everything that keeps society functioning – the press, universities, the courts, and businesses. It’s a familiar pattern. Authoritarian leaders always change the rules first, because most people will follow the law, even if it’s clearly wrong. That’s exactly what they rely on.”

He paused for a moment, then said, “Everyone hopes for a miracle, but they just don’t happen.”

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2025-10-07 13:32