The Storytelling Shift That Defines Asif Kapadia
When a director best known for documentaries built entirely from archival footage turns toward speculative fiction, the results invite close scrutiny. Asif Kapadia, whose earlier works chronicled the rise and fall of public figures like Ayrton Senna, Amy Winehouse, and Diego Maradona, has ventured into a new cinematic territory with 2073, a genre-bending film that merges dystopian fiction with present-day reality. It is a work that reflects the evolving approach of Asif Kapadia to filmmaking and an intensifying concern with global democratic erosion and the unchecked power of technology.
The fictional components of 2073 center around a post-catastrophic society, where a lone character named Ghost, played by Samantha Morton, navigates a world devastated by an undefined cataclysm known only as “The Event.” Living in a deserted shopping center and relying on minimal resources, Ghost becomes a symbolic witness to the consequences of decades of negligence and authoritarian ascent. Yet the story is not solely built from imagination. Asif Kapadia draws heavily from real-world footage and interviews, forming a chilling mosaic of current global crises.
To understand the making of this film, it is helpful to examine the personal and professional trajectory of Asif Kapadia. In a recorded conversation with Channel 4, he discusses his shift from traditional documentary formats to a hybrid narrative that allows a broader critique of climate catastrophe, digital surveillance, and global authoritarianism. Asif Kapadia traces his motivations back to his own experiences with surveillance after 9/11, when he was detained at airports and placed on a watch list, all for taking photos of Manhattan’s skyline from a moving vehicle.
Further insight into the film’s construction emerged during a session hosted by Docs Ireland, where Asif Kapadia reflected on the thematic cohesion that unites his filmography. Though 2073 diverges formally from Amy or Senna, it retains his focus on marginalized figures navigating systemic forces beyond their control. Ghost, though fictional, is another outsider—this time framed within a societal collapse that renders traditional power structures both visible and overwhelming. Her silence throughout the film makes space for a rotating chorus of real voices, from investigative journalists to technologists, whose commentary anchors the film’s warnings in tangible present-day developments.
The film’s narrative is interwoven with images of political leaders and Silicon Valley figures, creating an archive of contemporary authoritarianism. Figures like Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, and Narendra Modi appear alongside tech industry moguls, crafting a visual lineage of influence and surveillance. Asif Kapadia has spoken candidly about the difficulty of producing a film critical of these entities while simultaneously relying on distribution platforms that they often control. Nevertheless, 2073 has found its way onto such platforms, reinforcing the paradoxes Asif Kapadia seeks to expose.
A significant moment in public engagement occurred at a BFI-hosted event for film students, where Asif Kapadia discussed the challenges of maintaining artistic integrity in an industry driven by commercial viability. He explained his process of sourcing archival material and the responsibility he feels in shaping real stories without distorting them. In 2073, this philosophy is extended into the realm of future speculation, but with a deliberate reminder that the fiction is built from today’s truths.
Creative decisions also extend to casting and performance. Morton’s portrayal of Ghost is sparse yet emotionally resonant. She embodies the kind of internalized resistance Asif Kapadia wants viewers to consider. The choice to limit her dialogue and rely on visual storytelling mirrors his earlier methods, where emotional gravity was often conveyed through image and sound rather than exposition.
While 2073 has elicited mixed responses, particularly regarding its balance between documentary and fiction, it represents a deliberate pivot in the career of Asif Kapadia—a broadening of format to meet the scope of his concerns. As he continues to bridge genres and challenge cinematic conventions, his work remains committed to examining those at the margins, not only of society but of narrative itself.