# Equals (film)
**Equals** is a 2015 science-fiction romance film directed by Drake Doremus, in which two coworkers in an emotion-free future society fall in love after contracting a disease that restores human feeling, making them fugitives from their own community. It stars [Nicholas Hoult](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-hoult) as Silas and [Kristen Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristen-stewart) as Nia, with [Guy Pearce](https://www.edgepedia.org/guy-pearce) and Jacki Weaver in supporting roles.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2015)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Directed by Drake Doremus; screenplay by Nathan Parker, story by Doremus[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2015) |
| Lead cast | Nicholas Hoult (Silas), Kristen Stewart (Nia), Guy Pearce (Jonas), Jacki Weaver (Bess), Bel Powley (Rachel)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2015) |
| Setting | The Collective, a society that ended crime and violence by genetically eliminating all human emotions[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2015) |
| Festival | Official Selection, 2015 Venice Film Festival; won the Soundtrack Stars Award and was nominated for the Golden Lion[2](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film826420.html) • [3](https://cinegraph.org/movies/equals-2015) |
| Release | Limited US theatrical release July 15, 2016, distributed by A24; streaming release November 18, 2016[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2016) |
| Runtime / rating | 101 minutes; rated PG-13 for thematic content, sensuality, partial nudity, and disturbing images[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2016) |
| Box office | $2,084,628 worldwide against a $16.0 million budget; domestic opening of $9,206[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt3289728/credits/) • [3](https://cinegraph.org/movies/equals-2015) |
| Critical reception | 36% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (86 reviews); Metascore 43 on Metacritic (27 reviews)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2015) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/equals/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
The film takes place after a world-ending war, within a tightly regulated society known as the Collective, where emotions have been genetically modified out of humans.[7](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/movies/equals-explores-world-where-emotions-are-outlawed/O5bSvE8YVXdcKeqkUYVT5K/) In this future, humans have explored distant space, cured both cancer and the common cold, and learned to live without emotions, including love and physical intimacy.[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/equals) The Collective expects citizens to report anyone who begins to show feelings; such people are considered sick with "Switched-On Syndrome" (SOS), which is treated in stages, with Stage Four leading to forced rehabilitation or euthanasia.[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/equals)
Silas, an illustrator, begins showing signs of switching on after a coworker in his office building commits suicide, and he notices that his coworker Nia is subtly affected in a way their colleagues are not.[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/equals) Silas is diagnosed with SOS Stage 1, considered incurable, with suicide presented as the most efficient way out; Nia, by contrast, is a "hidden", someone able to control her behavior and avoid arrest and detention.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/05/equals-review-kristen-stewart-nicholas-hoult-venice-sci-fi-parable) The two begin a secret affair, and as suspicion mounts among their superiors they must choose between returning to the safety of their lives or attempting a daring escape.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2016)
## Production and release
The project was announced in October 2013, when Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult were attached to star. Nathan Parker, who wrote [Duncan Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/duncan-jones)'s *[Moon](https://www.edgepedia.org/moon-2009-film)*, wrote the screenplay, and Steven Rales's Indian Paintbrush, which had produced and financed Doremus's breakout film *Like Crazy*, planned to put the film into production the following year.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/kristen-stewart-nicholas-hoult-star-drake-doremus-equals/) The finished film's production companies included [Scott Free Productions](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-free-productions), Route One Entertainment, Union Investment Partners, and E1 Entertainment.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2016)
*Equals* premiered in the Official Selection of the 2015 [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival).[2](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film826420.html) At the festival it won the Soundtrack Stars Award and was nominated for the [Golden Lion](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-lion) and the Green Drop Award.[3](https://cinegraph.org/movies/equals-2015) A24 gave it a limited theatrical release in the United States on July 15, 2016, followed by a streaming release on November 18, 2016.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2016) Its earliest release listed by [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) is May 11, 2016, in the Philippines.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt3289728/credits/)
John Guleserian served as cinematographer, and the score was composed by Apparat (Sascha Ring) and Dustin O'Halloran.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt3289728/credits/)
## Style and comparisons
Reviewers repeatedly placed the film in a lineage of minimalist, antiseptic screen futures. The Guardian's Andrew Pulver compared it to [George Lucas](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-lucas)'s *THX 1138* "as if reshot as a perfume commercial," and noted its similarity to the doomed lovers of Orwell's *Nineteen Eighty-Four*.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/05/equals-review-kristen-stewart-nicholas-hoult-venice-sci-fi-parable) RogerEbert.com's reviewer called it "jumpsuit science fiction" in the tradition of *THX 1138*, *Logan's Run*, and *Star Trek: The Motion Picture*, and compared the society's suppression of emotion after near-self-destruction to the Vulcan solution in *Star Trek*.[11](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/equals-2016) Other critics drew parallels to *Romeo and Juliet* and to [Andrew Niccol](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-niccol)'s *Gattaca*, citing the turnstile scanners, medical checks, and sleekly monitored workforce.[12](https://cinetrii.com/movie/tt3289728) • [7](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/movies/equals-explores-world-where-emotions-are-outlawed/O5bSvE8YVXdcKeqkUYVT5K/) A scholarly survey of dystopian film groups *Equals* with *The Host* (2013) and *The Giver* (2014) among adaptations of classical dystopian premises.[13](https://karolinum.cz/data/clanek/11744/CEJCR_5_1_0067.pdf)
The film's visual design drew both praise and criticism. [Richard Roeper](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-roeper) of the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) called it "well-made, well-acted, visually arresting" but found everything "muted and predictable and lacking in spark," noting the monochromatic wardrobe and antiseptic dwellings typical of futuristic films.[14](https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/7/21/18370629/equals-in-a-bland-but-handsome-future-all-conceal-their-feels) Rotten Tomatoes' critics consensus summarizes the split: "Equals is a treat for the eyes, but its futuristic aesthetic isn't enough to make up for its plodding pace and aimlessly derivative story."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2015)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to negative. The film holds a 36% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from 86 reviews and a Metascore of 43 on Metacritic based on 27 critic reviews, classified as "mixed or average"; audience scores were higher, with an IMDb rating of 6.0.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2015) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/equals/) • [15](https://moviesranking.com/film/tt3289728-equals-2015) Reviewers generally credited the two leads: Pulver wrote that Hoult and Stewart "give it their all" and deliver "sensitive, nuanced performances," while finding the first half dramatically inert because everything moves at half speed.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/05/equals-review-kristen-stewart-nicholas-hoult-venice-sci-fi-parable) Matt Zoller Seitz at RogerEbert.com called it "a heartfelt film, often brilliantly directed, but quite thin in terms of vision," and noted Guy Pearce's supporting turn as a "been there, buddy" advisor in a love-support-group subplot.[11](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/equals-2016) • [16](https://mubi.com/en/films/equals/critics-reviews) [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-atlanta-journal-constitution) gave the film a C+, judging it meticulously made but ultimately saying nothing at all.[7](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/movies/equals-explores-world-where-emotions-are-outlawed/O5bSvE8YVXdcKeqkUYVT5K/)
Commercially, the film earned $33,258 domestically (1.6% of its total) and $2,051,370 internationally, for a worldwide gross of $2,084,628, against a reported budget of $16.0 million.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt3289728/credits/) • [3](https://cinegraph.org/movies/equals-2015) In later years it has been described as an underrated entry in A24's catalog; Inverse called it "a haunting meditation on what it means to love and be loved" and noted its availability on [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) in 2022.[17](https://www.inverse.com/culture/sci-fi-movies-november-2022-hbo-max-equals)
## References
1. [Equals, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2015)
2. [Equals (2015), FilmAffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film826420.html)
3. [Equals, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/movies/equals-2015)
4. [Equals, Rotten Tomatoes movie info](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equals_2016)
5. [Equals (2015), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt3289728/credits/)
6. [Equals Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/equals/)
7. [Katie Walsh, "'Equals' explores a world where emotions are outlawed," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 21, 2016](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/movies/equals-explores-world-where-emotions-are-outlawed/O5bSvE8YVXdcKeqkUYVT5K/)
8. [Equals, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/equals)
9. [Andrew Pulver, "Equals review," The Guardian, September 5, 2015](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/05/equals-review-kristen-stewart-nicholas-hoult-venice-sci-fi-parable)
10. [Jeff Sneider, "Kristen Stewart, Nicholas Hoult to Star in Drake Doremus' 'Equals'," TheWrap, October 24, 2013](https://www.thewrap.com/kristen-stewart-nicholas-hoult-star-drake-doremus-equals/)
11. [Equals movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/equals-2016)
12. [Equals (2015), Cinetrii](https://cinetrii.com/movie/tt3289728)
13. [Classical dystopian fiction and its film adaptations, Central European Journal of Comparative Research](https://karolinum.cz/data/clanek/11744/CEJCR_5_1_0067.pdf)
14. [Richard Roeper, "'Equals': In a bland but handsome future, all conceal their feels," Chicago Sun-Times, July 21, 2016](https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/7/21/18370629/equals-in-a-bland-but-handsome-future-all-conceal-their-feels)
15. [Equals (2015), The Film Index](https://moviesranking.com/film/tt3289728-equals-2015)
16. [Equals critic reviews, MUBI](https://mubi.com/en/films/equals/critics-reviews)
17. ["You need to watch A24's most underrated sci-fi movie on HBO Max ASAP," Inverse, 2022](https://www.inverse.com/culture/sci-fi-movies-november-2022-hbo-max-equals)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2010s › Science fiction films of the 2010s › Titles symbols to I*
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