A Zen blog post in Russian
https://dzen.ru/a/aduH7v5dfVhFIL_o
THESE ARE NOT MOVIES — THESE ARE FACTS.
This is the darkest level of cinema, with almost no artistic treatment. It's not "about politics", but about real mechanisms: genocides, wars, propaganda, the dismantling of people and systems.
1) The Great Hack (Cambridge Analytica. Scandalous hacking). The manipulation is already personalized.
The film The Great Hack is not just a documentary. It's a cold shower for those who still think that "no one needs my data."
Do you still think that likes are just likes? Are the "what kind of character are you— tests harmless entertainment? Wake up. You have long been digitally disassembled, packaged, and sold.
Cambridge Analytica didn't hack people — you gave it all away. Voluntarily. With a smile. And then this data was used to manipulate elections, opinions, and reality.
This is not a conspiracy theory. This is a business model.
Every click is your profile.
Every scroll is your psychotype.
Every agreement with the "terms" is a minus to your freedom.
And the worst part is that it's all going on right now.
If you don't delete half of the apps after watching it and reconsider your online behavior, it means you either didn't understand, or you're just comfortable being a product.
Welcome to the digital reality where you are the product.
Cambridge Analytica: The Great Hack (2019)
YouTube (credits in Russian)
2) The Triumph of the Will. What the ideal propaganda looks like and why it works.
The film Triumph of the Will is not a "classic movie." This is a tutorial on how to turn people into a crowd. Music, marches, flags, faces being shot at the right angle, speeches that are not explained, but hammered into the subconscious. "Triumph of the Will" is a prototype of modern political propaganda. If in the 21st century you see epic montages, loud speeches, parades, giant digital banners, ubiquitous slogans — this is no accident. This is the logic of the "Triumph of the Will", only in a new wrapper.
Leni Riefenstahl shot more than just a beautiful picture — she created an instrument of influence. Scale, symmetry, emotions, music — everything is calibrated to the millimeter to disable critical thinking and enable blind obedience.
And at the center of this performance is Adolf Hitler, presented not as a man, but as an almost mythical figure. Not a cult leader. Not politics, but hypnosis.
And here's the really disturbing thing: it works. It worked then. It still works now — it's just that the tools have become thinner and the screens are smaller.
Don't be fooled by "aesthetics". There can always be manipulation behind a perfect picture.
Don't be fooled by the scale. Mass appeal is not equal to the truth.
Don't turn your head off when they try to sell you a "great idea."
This is not a movie about the past. This is a warning.
And if you watch and admire without asking questions, it means that the technology is still working.
Triumph of the Will (1935)
Odnokassniki (in high quality, Russian translation)
3) HyperNormalization. Reality is being replaced by a convenient version. We don't lose reality in one day. We lose it slowly when we settle for a comfortable illusion, a beautiful screen, and empty words, instead of asking how it actually works.
The film shows how the world is divided into "normal" people who believe, and strange people who are considered crazy because they see too much. "Normal" people are those who live peacefully while reality collapses around them, but everything is beautiful on the screen.
This is not a film about "something interesting" - it's about how reality is turned into a convenient illusion, and people into passive spectators of their own destruction. There are no clear enemies, no clear heroes, no "who's to blame" in an understandable way. But there is one simple observation: we have long lived in a world where power and visual effects have replaced real solutions, and the beauty of the screen has replaced any responsibility. The system that the film talks about works in such a way that reality becomes too complex, harsh, and dangerous to show. Therefore, it is conveniently simulated.: "we did everything," "we decided," "we changed," but in reality nothing changes, and people believe in it because they like to believe. Now the world is full of catastrophes, crises, and systemic problems. But they show us shows, loud speeches, beautiful reports, "initiative," "our achievements," "much better than anywhere else." And this is all hypernormalization: the image becomes more important than the content, the format is more important than the meaning, the picture is more important than reality. Almost all people fit into it with pleasure. Politicians, journalists, bloggers, corporations, even "anti‑systemic" activists often become part of this show, just in a different aesthetic.
The HyperNormalization movie is not an evening viewing. This is a slap in the face, after which it will no longer be possible to "live as before."
Adam Curtis takes reality apart and shows that the world you live in is a decoration. Simplistic, fake, and convenient... not for you.
Politicians, corporations, and the media have long since stopped trying to make sense of the chaos. They made it easier — they created a fake, flat version of the world where everything is "understandable", "controlled" and "under control". Spoiler alert: It's an illusion.
Do you think you understand what's going on?
What choice do you have?
That the news reflects reality?
No. You are being sold a story that is easier to believe than to understand the truth.
And the most dangerous thing is that everyone knows it. And they keep playing this game anyway. Because the real reality is too complicated, uncomfortable, and frightening.
This is Hypernormalization — when lying becomes the norm, because it's easier for everyone.
After this movie, you either start to doubt everything... or you finally accept the role of a spectator in someone else's play.
There is no third option.
HyperNormalization (2016)
YouTube
VKontakte (credits in Russian)
After watching these films, the illusions disappear that evil is not an exception, it is a byproduct of the system. Decisions are made at the top, the consequences are borne at the bottom, and responsibility is blurred, no one feels guilty. A system can be rational, actions can be logical, and the result is a disaster.
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My hobbies are history, philosophy, psychology, music, economics, politics, and sociology. I write about this and much more. Professional model. She has performed at international music festivals (vocals, dancing, imitation of vocalists). I am studying at the Academy of Arts - the film and art industry, I am a producer and the owner of a video studio.
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