### Unrest (Unrueh) (2022) *[Unrest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrest_(2022_film))* is a chill movie about anarchists. It follows [Pyotr Kropotkin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kropotkin) on his ([real](https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/kropotkin-anarchism-unrest/)) 1870 visit to a remote community of Swiss watchmakers. What's not to like? I expected certain tropes from this political biopic. The protagonist is moved by the plight of the workers, and changes his mind. Evil capitalist villain. Someone helpless is saved. Inspirational words are spoken. But *Unrest* avoids all of that. First of all, it is not really about Kropotkin. In true anarcho-socialist fashion, there isn't one main character, but rather a group of interlinked stories. Workers, capitalists, diplomats, telegraph operators and photographers, at a historical crossroads, dealing with new technologies, new modes of production, globalization, rationalization, and industrialization. The movie delivers its anti-capitalism in subtle, metaphorical ways. Managers - donning clinical, white robes, and wielding intricate pocket watches - patrol the workshop floor, moving from worker to worker, ensuring no time is wasted. The assembly line hasn't been invented yet, but it's looming on the horizon. Specialized workers - mostly women - meticulously assemble the tools the managers use to keep them busy. The story is set in the early days of photography. The owner hires the local photographer to take promotional pictures of the workshop and its surroundings; policemen block the road to try and keep people out of the frame. The workers, on the other hand, are obsessed with portraits - of famous people, and of each other. *Unrest*'s cinematography and sound design are unique. Many scenes are filmed from afar using a zoom lens, with the action occurring in a small corner of the frame. Shots are flat but deeply layered, with many structures, pathways, animals and people between camera and background. Some shots - a busy bar, the workshop floor, the town's main street - are chaotic, with many characters given equal weight. As a result, it can take a few seconds to realize who's talking. Everything happens all at once. A kind of anarchist cinematography; an interplay between individuals, their community and surroundings. This is aided by the movie's brilliant use of sound. If you've ever experienced binaural recordings, the effect is similar, with tons of ambient sound. The environment - the wind, rustling leaves, nearby conversations, animals, tools, machinery - are all clearly audible, almost loud, but without overwhelming you. It's chaos, but it's controlled and sparse, with high dynamic range, allowing dialogue to be heard clearly. Easily my favorite aspect of this movie. Watch it with good headphones / speakers. Highly recommended.