"Goodbye World" is not an apocalyptic film as one thinks of one. The plot does not center on the destruction of infrastructure, landscapes of desolation, or immediate violence as new groups try to fill the power vacuum. "Goodbye World" is a glimpse of the quick dissolution into the state of nature that occurs in human relationships when society collapses. Common to all works of literature and film that deal with the subject of societal breakdown, established conflicts emerge. These include: the desire to hold onto familiar societal values; the relevance of property ownership without governing bodies; at what point does cooperation impede on the individual's ability to survive; and the possible irrelevance of social contracts (marriage)without government. The film subtly captures the characters not just as victims of impending doom but friends and lovers with established and complicated relationships. These established tensions within the relationships serve as a medium to convey the philosophical quandaries that are inherent in the age old political question: What is man in the state of nature? It should not be expected that the rich characters would set aside relational conflicts as the world ends. Such disaster only exacerbates the problems within their relationships. But the aggravation of old wounds and amplification of competing attitudes just makes the ending all the more sweet. Each character must say "Goodbye World" to their old prejudices and paradigms to walk brightly into the future without "the world as we know it."
Review of Goodbye World
