Orwell: 2+2=5 is an urgent exploration of the life and enduring influence of George Orwell, the British author whose insights into power and truth remain startlingly relevant. Narrated by Damian Lewis, the film traces Orwell’s career from his time as a colonial policeman in Burma to his final days writing 1984 while battling tuberculosis. Using a wealth of archive footage, newsreels, and contemporary political observation, the documentary demonstrates how 20th-century authoritarianism continues to echo in threats to democracy and public liberties across the globe in 2025.

Director Raoul Peck, known for his Oscar-nominated 2016 documentary I Am Not Your Negro, continues his streak of intellectually rigorous filmmaking with this essential film. A frighteningly relevant meditation on power and language, it serves as a sobering reminder the current global political climate and the fragile state of the truth.