Orwell: 2+2=5

2025 119 min ★ 7.2 Documentary

George Orwell was one of the most visionary authors of the 20th century, whose novels 1984 and Animal Farm foretold a chilling, authoritarian future. Acclaimed director Raoul Peck interweaves clips, readings from Orwell's diary, cinematic references, and modern-day footage to craft not only a portrait of the writer, but a fresh take on how prophetic his work has become.

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Cast

Damian Lewis

George Orwell (voice)

George Orwell

Self (archive footage)

George W. Bush

Self (archive footage)

Viktor Orbán

Self (archive footage)

Colin Powell

Self (archive footage)

Joseph Stalin

Self (archive footage)

Malcolm X

Self (archive footage)

Ernest Hemingway

Self (archive footage)

Salman Rushdie

Self (archive footage)

Albert Einstein

Self (archive footage)

Details

Director

Raoul Peck

Status

Released

Original Language

EN

Revenue

$355,288

Production

Anonymous Content, Closer Media, Jigsaw Productions, Velvet Film, Universal Pictures Content Group, The Estate of the Late Sonia Brownell Orwell

Reviews

B

Brent Marchant

October 11, 2025

★ 7/10

George Orwell (born Eric Arthur Blair, 1903-1050), author of such legendary novels as the allegorical Animal Farm and dystopian 1984, has been called one of the greatest and most insightful writers of the 20th Century. And, in light of recent history, he’s also been widely regarded as one of the most prescient, a plainspoken scribe who clearly saw the future long before it happened and wasn’t afra...