Digger (2026 | USA | 129 minutes | Alejandro González Iñárritu)
It doesn’t take a lot of imagination for most Americans to understand the concept and realities of the world in which Digger lives. A ridiculously wealthy man living on his own save a nearly-deceased cat he holds incredibly dear and a few employees that flow in and out of his rooms like water at his bidding. On the day we are introduced to him, he finds out the drilling he so desperately had been pining after in Alaska has caused a crack in the ice shelf creating a brand new and incredibly dangerous speeding projectile of an iceberg headed for Norway. With no warning, things shift and you’re seeing the story in a whole new light. Tension galore throughout the two hour run time and you’re not sure if you hate it or love it, but it got your attention.
For the first thirty minutes of the film we were forced to “be in a room” full of people that I find detestable. It hit far too close to home in a way that I understand far too well and have a very hard time appreciating. It’s something I, and most Americans, can easily relate to and that makes me sick to my stomach. That being said, we have been inundated with this idiocy and blatant disregard for the well-being of the American people for so long we’re becoming numb. Protests are thankfully continuing and neighbors support neighbors but when it comes to news feeds and knowing exactly what’s happening day to day, we’re all becoming pretty fatigued. Digger blasts a fog light on it and holds your eyelids open so you have no choice but to experience it regardless of how traumatizing it may be.
The tone of the film drastically changes with a single motion from the annoyingly convincing performance of Digger by Tom Cruise. You don’t exactly forget that it’s Cruise performing, but I also felt like it oddly wasn’t much of a stretch for him to convey this scumbag on screen. I know a lot of people haven’t been to keen on the film as a whole, speaking to how it’s just an unholy mess from beginning to end. I find Digger a ridiculous farce that isn’t out of the realm of possibility considering the world we live in… So what is director Iñárritu’s purpose in all this grandiose and gross entitlement gracing the screen for more than two hours? That’s the real question we’re all trying to answer. For me, it’s a challenge to power, it’s a jester’s attempt at putting a mirror in front of the self-proclaimed king so he can see first hand the clown that he truly is. We can only dream he would be that self-aware. Digger is a unique and interesting look at a bleak future, and in many ways one that we have every possibility of living sooner than we’d hope.
Digger arrives in theaters on 10/2