Review: Orwell 2+2=5

29 December, 2025 William Eguizabal 0 Comments 2 categories

Title: Orwell 2+2=5
MPA Rating: R
Director: Raoul Peck
Starring: Damian Lewis, George Orwell, U Win Khine
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

What It Is: This is a documentary about author George Orwell, but it is much more than that. It examines his work, particularly Animal Farm and 1984, and shows how their themes remain sadly relevant, perhaps even more so than ever before. Raoul Peck gives us a look into a man who wrote some of literature’s most compelling science fiction. Where did those ideas come from, and why did he think the way he did? All of this is told through a beautiful, almost picture-book style that Peck has used before.

What We Think: There is so much to like about the way this documentary looks. The picture-book aesthetic gives what could be a very bland subject a significant visual boost. It is crystal clear that Peck knows his subject on an intimate level, and that intimacy is what fuels the intrigue in his documentaries.

This is a dry and, frankly, uninteresting topic on paper. It is Peck’s direction and his visual choices that elevate the film and set it apart from the vast majority of documentaries released, and yet to be released, in 2025.

Our Grade: B+, The truly unbelievable thing about this entire endeavor is just how relevant Orwell’s work continues to be. Peck does an excellent job of telling Orwell’s story. That said, this will be a volatile film for some viewers, purely because of its willingness to engage directly with politics. Those same viewers may also take issue with the film’s artistic interpretation of events.

This is not a straightforward documentary. It simply is what it is, and what it is happens to be a beautiful piece of film making and a slice of a life lived interestingly, even if not for very long.