History Film / LandOfTheBlind

* TwoPlusTortureMakesFive: The new regime apparently mandates vegetarianism, and forces dissidents in the re-education camps to recite: [[FourTermsFallacy "A dry crust of bread is better than nothing, but nothing is better than a big juicy steak. Therefore, dry crust of bread is better than a big juicy steak."]] Plus of course "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down."

Opening in a land aptly named Everycountry ruled by Maximilian II ("Baby Max"), son of a Mussolini-like dictator, it revolves around Joe, a prison guard (Ralph Fiennes) and imprisoned dissident writer Thorne (Donald Sutherland). Thorne speaks with Joe, impressing him by his idealistic convictions, protesting his treatment by refusing to wear a prison uniform and using his own feces to write on the walls. Maximilian II, or Junior, is shown to be dangerously unstable, running the country's film industry and churning out cheap action movies. This may be a reference to Kim Jong-Il, son of the late North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung who had done the same.

* TwoPlusTortureMakesFive: The new regime apparently mandates vegetarianism, and forces dissidents in the re-education camps to recite: [[FourTermsFallacy "A dry crust of bread is better than nothing, but nothing is better than a big juicy steak. Therefore, dry crust of bread is better than a big juicy steak."]] Plus of course "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down."
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The Citizens for Justice and Democracy fought a mad dictator, but used terrorist tactics themselves and turned out even worse in power.

* RegimeChange: The dictator is killed and his regime overthrown, but the revolution turns out just as bad or worse.

* ShoutOut: Tons of them. Maximilian I resembles Mussolini, Thorne resembles Karl Marx, his writing on the prison walls with feces resembles the IRA "dirty protest", "Baby Max" is a probable reference to Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, son/successor of Haitian dictator Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, his obsession with movies (and use of national resources to make really bad ones) appears to reference Kim Jong Il's history. The reeducation camps are much like those [[DirtyCommunists various communist regimes]] used, the reference to separating children from their parents and imprisoning intellectuals may refer to the practices of the Khmer Rouge and the clothing women are made to wear is very similar to that of Islamist Iran. Thorne's death scene is a visual reference to "The Death of Marat", and Joe's situation at the end explicitly echoes that of Rudolf Hess.

A 2006 film with dark political satire by Robert Howard, starring Donald Sutherland and Ralph Fiennes. It explores themes of revolution, terrorism, freedom and memory, playing on many real historical examples.

* ShoutOut: Tons of them. Maximilian I resembles Mussolini, Thorne resembles Karl Marx, his writing on the prison walls with feces resembles the IRA "dirty protest", "Baby Max" is a probable reference to Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, son/successor of Haitian dictator Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, his obsession with movies (and use of national resources to make really bad ones) appears to reference Kim Jong Il's history. The reeducation camps are much like those [[DirtyCommunists various communist regimes]] used, the reference to separating children from their parents may refer to the practices of the Khmer Rouge and the clothing women are made to wear is very similar to that of Islamist Iran. Thorne's death scene is a visual reference to "The Death of Marat", and Joe's situation at the end explicitly echoes that of Rudolf Hess.

* ShoutOut: Tons of them. Maximilian I resembles Mussolini, Thorne resembles Karl Marx, his writing on the prison walls with feces resembles the IRA "dirty protest", "Baby Max" is a probable reference to Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, son/successor of Haitian dictator Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, the reeducation camps are much like those [[DirtyCommunists various communist regimes]] used, the clothing women are made to wear is similar to that of Islamist Iran, Thorne is killed in the same way as French Revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat, and Joe's situation at the end explicitly echoes that of Rudolf Hess.

* TwoPlusTortureMakesFive: In the reeducation camp inmates are taught [[FourTermsFallacy "A dry crust of bread is better than nothing, but nothing is better than a big juicy steak. And therefore?...A dry crust of bread is better than a big juicy steak."]] Plus of course "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down."

* KangarooCourt: When the rebels storm the palace, Thorne gives the dictator "Baby Max" and his wife a show trial of perhaps ten minutes. He's the judge, while one of the others is the prosecutor. Naturally, he gives them both the death sentences and carries it out himself.

* TallPoppySyndrome: {{Referenced}} in the reeducation camp slogan of "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down" and explicit with the revolution's (claimed) egalitarian goals (though as with most such regimes they end up very ''un''equal).

* TallPoppySyndrome: Referenced in the reeducation camp slogan of "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down" and explicit with the revolution's (claimed) egalitarian goals (though as with most such regimes they end up very ''un''equal).

* TwoPlusTortureMakesFive: In the reeducation camp inmates are taught [[FourTermsFallacy "A dry crust of bread is better than nothing, but nothing is better than a big juicy steak. And therefore?...A dry crust of bread is better than a big juicy steak."]] Plus of course "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down."

* TallPoppySyndrome: [[ReferencedTrope Referenced]] in the reeducation camp slogan of "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down" and explicit with the revolution's (claimed) egalitarian goals (though as with most such regimes they end up very ''un''equal).

* RegimeChange: The dictator is killed and his regime overthrown, but the revolution turns out just as bad or worse.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: "I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a unit, sir." (That is, Battalion Six, an elite anti-terrorist army unit.)

* TallPoppySyndrome: {{Referenced}} in the reeducation camp slogan of "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down" and explicit with the revolution's (claimed) egalitarian goals (though as with most such regimes they end up very ''un''equal).
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: Like many RealLife examples, they are no heroes themselves upon taking power. Even before taking power it is specifically mentioned that they bomb soft targets, impose "order" by force in lawless areas, collect "taxes" by kneecapping people who refuse it, possibly referencing tactics of the IRA in Northern Ireland. After they're in power, of course, things go even more wrong.
* TwoPlusTortureMakesFive: In the reeducation camp inmates are taught [[FourTermsFallacy "A dry crust of bread is better than nothing, but nothing is better than a big juicy steak. And therefore?...A dry crust of bread is better than a big juicy steak."]] Plus of course "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.

* RebelliousRebel - Joe becomes one of these when he realizes that their RebelLeader is more than just a WellIntentionedExtremist but KnightTemplar bordering on MagnificentBastard.
* ShoutOut-Tons of them. Maximilian I resembles Mussolini, Thorne resembles Karl Marx, his writing on the prison walls with feces resembles the IRA "dirty protest", "Baby Max" is a probable reference to Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, son/successor of Haitian dictator Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, the reeducation camps are much like those [[DirtyCommunists various communist regimes]] used, the clothing women are made to wear is similar to that of Islamist Iran, Thorne is killed in the same way as French Revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat, and Joe's situation at the end explicitly echoes that of Rudolf Hess.
* TallPoppySyndrome: Referenced in the reeducation camp slogan of "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down" and explicit with the revolution's (claimed) egalitarian goals (though as with most such regimes they end up very ''un''equal).

* TwoPlusTortureMakesFive: In the reeducation camp inmates are taught [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_four_terms "A dry crust of bread is better than nothing, but nothing is better than a big juicy steak. And therefore?...A dry crust of bread is better than a big juicy steak."]] Plus of course "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.

* TwoPlusTortureMakesFive: In the reeducation camp inmates are taught [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_four_terms "A dry crust of bread is better than nothing, but nothing is better than a big juicy steak. And therefore?...A dry crust of bread is better than a big juicy steak."]] Plus of course "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down."
--

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Attention: spoilers ahead.

The rot sets in quickly, however. Women are made to wear Muslim-style covering, vegetarianism becomes mandatory, intellectuals or educated people are sent to reeducation camps, and the references pile up quickly to Iran, Cambodia, Russia, China, etc. Joe realizes the new regime is the same if not worse than before, refusing to swear loyalty to it. He is placed in a reeducation camp, where inmates are indoctrinated to be happy with the bare minimum and love the leader. Thorne visits it and doesn't recognize him.

* CallBack - "Nothing is better than a big juicy steak."
* FullCircleRevolution - People become disgusted with the new regime, overthrowing it also.
* LaResistance - Citizens for Justice and Democracy, an opposition movement that become terrorists due to government repression. When they take over, it doesn't go well.

* MindScrew - [[spoiler: Either Joe imagined most of the movie before he got put into the reeducation camp and then prison, or the regimes are ''very good'' at covering their tracks]]. Also, the reeducation itself.
* RegimeChange - The dictator is killed and his regime overthrown, but the revolution turns out just as bad or worse.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial - "I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a unit, sir." (That is, Battalion Six, an elite anti-terrorist army unit.)
* RebelLeader - Thorne, who began as a dissident playwright, headed the opposition, and was imprisoned for sedition. Inside he becomes steadily more extreme. After he wins, his regime becomes even worse, reminiscent of Mao, Khomeini & co.

* TallPoppySyndrome-Referenced in the reeducation camp slogan of "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down" and explicit with the revolution's (claimed) egalitarian goals (though as with most such regimes they end up very ''un''equal).
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized - Like many RealLife examples, they are no heroes themselves upon taking power. Even before taking power it is specifically mentioned that they bomb soft targets, impose "order" by force in lawless areas, collect "taxes" by torturing people who resist it, possibly referencing tactics of the IRA in Northern Ireland. After they're in power, of course, things go even more wrong.
* TwoPlusTortureMakesFive - In the reeducation camp inmates are taught [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_four_terms "A dry crust of bread is better than nothing, but nothing is better than a big juicy steak. And therefore?...A dry crust of bread is better than a big juicy steak."]] Plus of course "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down."

* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized - Like many RealLife examples, they are no heroes themselves upon taking power. Even before taking power it is specifically mentioned that they bomb soft targets, impose "order" by force in lawless areas, collect "taxes" by using power drills on the kneecaps of people who resist it, referencing tactics of the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland. After they're in power, of course, things go even more wrong.