The amount of data that we create as humanity is enormous. To put that in perspective: the amount of data we have created over the past two years is more than all the data that we have made in the entire history of humanity. And with such an overload of data, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get attention for a certain topic. When something is in the news, the period in which that subject is forgotten seems to be getting shorter and shorter. When the Pentagon Papers were published in the early 1970s, their impact was great and they kept the public busy for a long time. And although the impact of the Panama Papers in 2015 was there, with a number of senior officials in various countries resigning, it is not easy to conclude that there has been a fundamental change in regulations to make tax havens disappear. Director Steven Soderbergh seems to have the same feeling and tries to draw attention to this subject again with The Laundromat.
He does this by showing a number of short stories. The common thread is formed by lawyers Jürgen Mossack (Gary Oldman) and Ramón Fonseca (Antonio Banderas), who simply explain various financial concepts to the viewer and how they could use them in a handy way. In addition, the viewer sees how Ellen Martin (Meryl Streep) struggles with her insurance and fails to get in touch with the right person. Another part is about a father who uses his shares as a means of power to control his family. Those involved are slowly discovering what the world of mailbox companies and tax havens are and what the consequences can be.
The comparison that you automatically make with this film is that with The Big Short. Here too, the film contains a large number of well-known actors in sometimes small roles and the film tries to say something about the financial system. Yet The Laundromat feels a lot less sharp and focused. So many stories and personal problems are looked at. The problem with that is that the subject Soderbergh wants to discuss is pushed to the background and remains too abstract. Nevertheless, this film remains worth watching due to the humor and the acting.
The Laundromat is available through Netflix
[score6]
I think I liked this more than most people. It is a crazy web of nutty scenarios but I really responded to it. I certainly understand why others wouldn’t though.
Yeah, but sometimes some people have a better click with something compared to others. And that’s alright 🙂