Downsizing is set in a world where scientists have discovered how to shrink humans to 0.0364% of their original mass and volume – averaging around 13 cm tall. This is promoted as a solution to overpopulation and people who undergo the irreversible shrinking process also have the financial incentive of increasing the value of their money, as small things cost less than big things.

Paul (Damon) and his wife Audrey (Wiig), enticed by the possibility of an affordable-but-lavish lifestyle, decide to ‘downsize’ as a solution to their financial woes – a decision that completely turns Paul’s life upside down and sets him on a journey of discovery.

When I first saw the trailer for Downsizing, I immediately thought of a bizarre journal article which proposed the idea of human engineering as a means to combat climate change. Much like the article, the film is an ambitious thought experiment in how far humans would be willing to go to maintain their comfort, and what ultimate environmental and social good could really be achieved by changing the nature of the human body but not human nature.

If you like your sci-fi mixed in with a little comedy and drama – and like movies that increase rather than downsize your grey matter – then Downsizing is the film for you.