In his latest project, 2073, Asif Kapadia steps away from the individual-focused biographical narratives that established his name and ventures into dystopian fiction to explore broader sociopolitical themes. This genre-blending film combines archival documentary elements with speculative storytelling to confront urgent global crises. Known for his acclaimed films Senna, Amy, and Diego Maradona, Asif Kapadia now constructs a stark vision of the future that reflects on the consequences of present-day authoritarianism, climate breakdown, and digital surveillance.

Set in a ruined version of New San Francisco, 2073 follows a woman named Ghost, played by Samantha Morton, who attempts to remain hidden in a decayed shopping center decades after a civilization-ending event. The film presents her isolated existence in a world filled with facial recognition systems, patrolling drones, and state violence. Through voiceover and fragmented memories, viewers trace her psychological and emotional descent as the past is reconstructed through news archives and real-world footage. The character’s story becomes a vehicle for examining the rise of far-right populism and technological domination.

Asif Kapadia merges his personal experiences and global observations to shape this vision. His own inclusion on a U.S. watch list after 9/11, as recounted in a Guardian interview, informs the film’s recurring theme of surveillance and mistrust. The film’s fictional interrogation scenes were inspired by real methods used in Chinese re-education camps, deepening the realism of the dystopian narrative. These connections reinforce the idea that the authoritarian systems portrayed in 2073 are not speculative; they are modeled on events already unfolding in countries such as India, the Philippines, and Brazil.

Instead of focusing on a singular story, Asif Kapadia expands the narrative through documentary “time capsules” that highlight activists and journalists resisting authoritarianism. Figures like Rana Ayyub, Maria Ressa, and Carole Cadwalladr appear as themselves, offering real-life insights into the erosion of democratic norms and the manipulation of truth through data and digital influence. These interviews, spliced between dramatized scenes, create a mosaic of present-day resistance and warning.

While some critics have questioned the film’s structure and lack of subtlety, the ambition of 2073 lies in its refusal to separate fiction from reality. Asif Kapadia weaves together dramatic sequences and real-world images—wildfires in California, urban destruction in Gaza, and protests in Hong Kong—to remind viewers that the future imagined in the film is already underway. This approach reflects the director’s longstanding interest in outsiders challenging entrenched systems, a theme that persists from his earliest work to this latest creation.

Asif Kapadia has described the characters in his films as individuals who confront power at great personal risk. With 2073, that motif is extended to a collective level. The film centers on women—outsiders by design—who lead the narrative and drive resistance. Their stories underline the power of memory and testimony in the face of systemic erasure. Samantha Morton’s portrayal of Ghost captures this fragility and resolve with minimal dialogue, relying on expressive stillness and voiceover to convey despair and resilience.

Despite the challenges of working within a media landscape shaped by the same corporate powers he critiques, Asif Kapadia secured support from global platforms to distribute the film. This paradox—using the infrastructure of tech conglomerates to expose their overreach—is not lost on the filmmaker. His decision to include figures such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk in the narrative highlights the tension between creative freedom and commercial constraint.

Ultimately, 2073 represents a significant shift for Asif Kapadia, both in form and message. The film’s layered storytelling and integrated archival content extend his exploration of how individual and collective histories shape our understanding of truth and resistance. As a director known for redefining documentary aesthetics, Asif Kapadia uses his platform to reflect a world on the brink—and perhaps offer a last chance to pull it back.