In six films, Adam Curtis traces the different forces across the world that have led to now. It covers a wide range—including the strange roots of modern conspiracy theories, the history of China, opium and opioids, the history of Artificial Intelligence, melancholy over the loss of empire and, love and power. And explores whether modern culture, despite its radicalism, is really just part of the new system of power.
I'm predisposed to liking anything Adam Curtis makes. His documentaries are always well produced, amazingly edited and incredibly informative. Can't Get You Out of My Head is no exception to this and is possibly his most thought provoking series for a while. The series has a lot of the same Adam Curtis tropes we've come to expect, from the use of Nine Inch Nails to the "then something unusual happened" narration to the sequences of deliberate contrapuntal fusion of soundtrack and footage. I fall for it every time. However what's notable is that this series even though incredibly well researched does feel a lot more "stream of consciousness" than his other series, this is in no means a negative thing because it does lure you in as a viewer and challenge you to engage with the material. In terms of a challenge I did find myself constantly evaluating and re-evaluating the individual vs collective good as well as the battle of internal Vs external truth across the 20th and 21st centu
