About this Event
“An urgent, indispensable film for our times.” – Matthew Carey, Deadline
“Brilliant and exhilarating. The boldest documentary anyone could make right now. Peck champions Orwell as a man from the past who may hold the key to our future.” – Stephanie Zacharek, Time
7th House is proud to present ORWELL: 2+2=5 (2025), a bracing and urgently timely new documentary from Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro), offering a deeply illuminating re-examination of one of the 20th century’s most enduring—and most misinterpreted—writers.
Working in collaboration with the Orwell Estate, Peck constructs a dynamic, intellectually charged portrait that moves fluidly between archival footage, contemporary images, and Orwell’s own words—drawn extensively from his diaries and the revelatory essay “Why I Write,” and voiced with grave precision by Damian Lewis. The result is not simply a biography, but a kind of cinematic thought process: an inquiry into how a life, shaped by empire, war, illness, and moral reckoning, gave rise to a body of work that continues to reverberate with startling clarity.
Far from the flattened image of Orwell as a distant “prophet,” Peck restores him as something more urgent and human—a writer engaged in the contradictions of his time, analyzing the world as it was rather than predicting what it might become. Through this lens, 1984 and Animal Farm emerge not as speculative fictions, but as distilled expressions of lived experience: meditations on power, language, and the quiet, incremental erosion of truth.
Peck’s film draws a precise and unsettling line between Orwell’s era and our own, tracing how mechanisms of control—surveillance, disinformation, the manipulation of language—persist and evolve. Through a rigorously constructed montage that juxtaposes historical record with present-day imagery, the film reveals a world that feels less like Orwell’s future than our own present tense. Terms like “Big Brother” and “Newspeak,” once literary inventions, now feel embedded in the fabric of everyday life. What emerges is less a warning than a recognition: a reminder that the structures Orwell examined have never truly disappeared, only adapted.
At once intimate and expansive, ORWELL: 2+2=5 is a film about the necessity of clear thinking in moments of distortion—about the fragile but essential act of insisting, against all pressure, that two plus two still equals four.
Dir. Raoul Peck, 2025, 118 mins, USA/France, English, Rated R, Digital.
Tickets: $12 (All Screenings Are In Person Only)
Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.
ADVISORY DISCLAIMER
With some exception, The Philosophical Research Society’s 7th House Screenings does not typically provide advisory warnings about potentially upsetting content or subject matter, as sensitivities are particular to each viewer. Please be sure to read event listings, research on the web, or visit Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com for thorough info on content and age-appropriateness. If you have any specific content advisory questions, please email [email protected].
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes.
ACCESSIBILITY
PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.
REFUND POLICIES
All sales are final. There are no refunds for PRS events , except in the event of a medical emergency, including but not limited to a positive COVID-19 test. Ticket exchanges may be granted on a case by case basis, pending circumstances.
In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event.
PARKING
Limited parking is available onsite at PRS in both the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east), as well as street parking on Griffith Park Blvd. and (after 7 PM) on Los Feliz Blvd. We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking.
PRS EVENT POLICIES
- We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
- Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
- We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats.
- Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events.
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- There is no smoking permitted on PRS grounds.
- We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
- PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code.
- Please do not bring outside food or drink into PRS events.
- Weapons are strictly prohibited at PRS events.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States
USD 14.64
