A Future That Feels Uncomfortably Close

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MOVIE REVIEWS
Censor Addiction
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Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Year Released: 2026
Runtime: 1h 28m
Director(s): Michael Matteo Rossi
Writer(s): Michael Matteo Rossi
Cast: Daniel O’Reilly, Sascha Knopf, Francis Capra, Vanessa Angel, Rachel Pizzolato, Vernon Wells
Where to Watch: TBA

RAVING REVIEW: What happens when a society comes to think of crime not as something to be solved, but as something to be manipulated, a number to change? That’s the quiet question at the heart of CENSOR ADDICTION, and the film never lets it go. Michael Matteo Rossi’s near-future dystopian thriller, set in 2030, presents a world where a very powerful medical company deliberately causes trouble to profit, and then sells the idea of controlling things to the people. The idea isn’t presented delicately, and that’s absolutely intended.

Instead of aiming for a refined look or a big, complicated story, CENSOR ADDICTION becomes a clash of ideas. The future in this film isn’t bright or full of amazing technology; it’s worn out, full of rules, and without morals (so truly, near-future). Rossi shows that dystopia doesn’t come all at once with flying cars and bright city lights, but rather slowly through laws, the rewards given to companies, and the gradual acceptance of cruelty presented as a requirement.

The story is about a group of people who used to work for the company, have seen how it works from the inside, and can’t live with what they did to help. Using this view, instead of a single focus, lets the film examine people involved in wrongdoing from various points of view. These people aren’t the normal heroes of a revolution. They’re tired, angry, and broken, and feel guilty as well as wanting those responsible to be held accountable. Daniel O’Reilly is the main actor, and gives a performance that stresses caution without being showy; it feels as if it comes from years of making deals rather than a sudden realization.

Sascha Knopf and Francis Capra give different kinds of performances that stop the group from becoming just one voice for a single idea. One of them pursues carefully planned opposition, and the other expresses a quiet rage, revealing how systems of control break people in different ways. Vanessa Angel and Rachel Pizzolato add some feeling to the story, making the film’s wider argument about personal loss and moral judgment, not just angry statements.

One of the best things the film does is not to make the cost of fighting back seem simple. CENSOR ADDICTION knows that fighting against corruption doesn’t automatically make up for mistakes from the past. The characters are troubled by what they let happen, what they said was okay, and what they didn’t pay attention to. This constant feeling of responsibility gives the story more depth.

In terms of style, the film relies on simplicity to compensate for its other ideas. Rossi doesn’t go for a future that's been ‘designed,’ but for places we know, places that are only slightly off, just changed enough to show that something is falling apart under the surface. This strengthens the idea that the most dangerous systems aren’t strange or clearly evil, but are things we recognize, parts of institutions, and worryingly effective. The lack of visual differentiation also makes the actors more important, forcing the film to depend on tension, what’s said, and the general feeling rather than on the environment to focus our attention.

The film is more interested in looking at what’s happening now than in predicting the future. It's a picture of the medical and business worlds that uses crime numbers to justify growth, and feels deliberately meant to provoke argument. The film doesn’t avoid making its criticism or weaken it. It openly doubts groups that say they are there to protect us, while taking advantage of weak people.

There are times when the story stops to explain things that would have been more effective if shown through what happened as a result of them, rather than just being stated. Those moments don’t spoil the experience, mainly because the actors remain emotionally involved even when the writing relies a little too much on clarity.

What makes CENSOR ADDICTION different is its refusal to comfort. No promise that everything will be put right, or that breaking up one company will make a broken society better. The film suggests that corruption can change and remake itself under new names. This honesty feels intended and necessary. This is an angry film, driven by ideas that want to make people uncomfortable rather than to blow them away. Rossi treats the film as a means of expressing criticism. This results in an experience which, at times, may seem a little rough around the edges, but also feels pressing and honest.

CENSOR ADDICTION knows that dystopia doesn’t require imagination as much as attention. Focusing on systems of power, involvement in wrongdoing, and manufactured fear, it issues a warning that feels very likely to come true. Its ambitions sometimes go a step too far, but its beliefs never change.

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[photo courtesy of ITALIAN COWBOY PRODUCTIONS, X4 PICTURES]

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