Dystopian Love vs Authoritarianism in ‘We Couldn’t Stop It’

In a dystopian future where an authoritarian dictator tightens control over ‘non-traditional relationships,’ the power of true love fights back in the form of the music video ‘We Couldn’t Stop It.’ The narrative unfolds through the titular song, written as a tribute to love’s primal, irresistible force, now challenged by oppressive attitudes in contemporary society.

The film, featuring Norman Alm and Gary M Gowans in the cast, with Gowans handling animation and music, is a political satire inspired by George Orwell’s ‘1984.’ Gowans shares that the storyline addresses the disturbing growth of authoritarian and conservative views towards ‘non-traditional lifestyles.’

“This story comes out of my own sense of incredulity at humanity’s singular capacity to turn something so innocent and pure into an atrocity.”

The protagonists of the song defy oppressive laws and take a leap of life or death, emphasizing the inevitability and irresistibility of human connection. The narrative incorporates a nod to Kurt Vonnegut Jr’s concept of ‘AI love,’ symbolized by a robot and a security figure of undetermined gender.

The production’s favorite part, according to Gowans, was not the dressing up but the creation of virtual stage sets. Drawing inspiration from classic science fiction and fantasy cinema, the film pays homage to iconic works like Metropolis, 1984, Blade Runner, Nosferatu, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

“This is because I love the visual language of these films and I’m very prone to recreating iconic spaces that I can inhabit for a while. Some set-ups can take weeks to build and for me there’s great excitement when things progress, and you start to get a good feeling about the look and feel of a scene. It may simply be a change of lighting or the nuances of a texture, for example how a reflective surface performs with a certain camera move. I think my favorite part of this production was creating the factory scenes. The main set is quite complicated and the virtual ‘crane shot’ up to my character on the podium is dynamic and ‘tongue-in-cheek-funny’. It’s my Buzby Berkeley moment!”

However there is no such thing as a production going according to plan. Five months into production, Gowans faced a setback when his iMac, the main production tool, crashed, leading to the loss of all scenes and video files. 

“Following this I had to wait 3 months to get a new workstation due to supply lines being compromised in the aftermath of Covid. Oddly enough this ‘disaster’ turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because the acquisition of a new Mac Studio allowed me to start from scratch in 4K/UHD format, and all of the scenes that I lost were rebuilt and significantly improved upon. I learned a lot of things in the ensuing months and it turns out that the whole experience helped me to make a better film.

Reflecting on the production, Gowans admits he would have initially aimed for a stronger German Expressionist look, reminiscent of ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.’ Nevertheless, he sees this as an opportunity for a potential future project.

For aspiring individuals in the film production space, Gowans advises embracing education, collaboration, and passion. He echoes designer Erik Spiekermann’s advice to read extensively and emphasizes the importance of pursuing a course that aligns with one’s interests.

“I’m an educator, and while I recognize that a college education is by no means the only route to success, it’s the one I know about. Join a course. Research the courses that provide the things you’re interested in. Good courses will usually have links to support industry placement or intern-ship opportunities. You will meet like-minded people, collaborate with fellow creatives and develop team skills. Once you determine a course that looks right for you get to know it. Attend the college Open Day if they have one. Don’t be shy, talk to students and staff and find out what they are looking for eg in a portfolio submission – and act on their advice. Make yourself known to them through positive enquiry, be inquisitive, look engaged! If you get onto a course, work like a Trojan, because you are the arbiter of your future – no one else! Last thing – do it because you love it! There’s no other reason.”

To stay updated on future projects, Gowans directs audiences to his website www.garygowans.com and social media profiles on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014399674634 and Instagram @gmgowans .

“We Couldn’t Stop It” is an official selection in the Utah International Film Festival February 12-17 and will screen at Maven Cinemas in American Fork, UT.