Serpil Altin’s ‘Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121’ is an ominous tale with sparks of surreal comedy that acts as a bold and honest take on both the familial regime under pressure and the horror that arises from fears of the future. 

In the year 2121, planet Earth has broken down from years of climate damage, leading to a treacherous famine, ultimately leaving behind an uninhabitable, barren landscape. Those who did survive now live underground in confined concrete spaces and communities, ruled under the dictatorship of the irreverent ‘Young Administration’ whose power and authority leads to a disastrous fate for a particular family living in the ‘new world’. 

Striking themes of existentialism, authoritarian reign and destruction to the family unit are all tackled throughout in a pragmatically cold and shameless way, owing credence to the film’s overt testimony to topics such as climatology and scarcity threats.  Altin has been open about her intentions in conveying the thematics of the film, with the director expressing how the film tackles a global issue.

In fact, Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121 belongs to a budding trilogy, with the other future narratives being ‘Young Revolution: 2071’ and ‘Heavenly World: 2222’. As such, 2121’ marks itself as being ambitious and certainly not afraid to delve into its storytelling-world-building-plot. For instance, the main characters are incredibly well fleshed-out, with the film fully diving deep into the relationships between the characters, allowing for the family dynamics on display to be compelling and emotional, in turn heightening the stakes to an extremely tense level. 

The film’s complexity is further established by the dystopian atmosphere. By trade, the structure of a desolate world governed by a totalitarian state is a claustrophobic and brutalised place, which Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121 brilliantly recreates. The film utilises aspects of industrial architecture, consisting of cold concrete and harsh spaces, complete with a form of controlled symmetry via the lack of individual personalisation to form a grim terrain for the terror to ensue. As the characters descend deeper into the story and come to terms with what the Young Administration’s direction means to them, the film becomes darker, both through its allegorical tone and its setting, with the final act dressing itself as a somber and eccentric buffer for the series to progress. 

Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121’s intriguing world-building setting, complete with its dramatic flair and eccentricity has proven to be a success, with the film dominating the award scene. To name a few, the film has won the ‘Best Feature Award’ at both the 2023 London Sci-Fi Film Festival and the 2023 Phoenix International Horror and Sci-fi Film Festival. Further to this was the multiple wins at the Fantasporto event (2023), Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin (2023) and Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival (2024). 

Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121 is an exciting sci-fi thriller that is not only the first Turkish sci-fi film directed by a woman, but it is also the first of its kind to be released in cinemas across America. 

There is a lot to be said about a film that can be daunting and rather frightening in its premise and portrayal of particular ideals, but that simultaneously peppers an odd, quirky humour that speaks to the uncomfortableness of the situation. In other words, this film manages to be disconcerting, formidable and rather wacky in its intentions, leading to a truly refreshing viewing experience that is not often happened upon. 

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