Thesecrets of Lumon Industries inSeverancearen’t the first time a dark comedy was made about a company forcing employees to devote themselves to work and having little care over their personal lives. The 2008 film,Visioneers, has a similar premise that could make you think you might be watching theApple TV+seriesat first. But no one from Macrodata Refinement shows up. Instead, there isZach Galifianakis,who struggles to escape joyless corporate duties in a story thatgets wackier than what has been seen onSeveranceso far.
What Is ‘Visioneers’ About?
Galifianakis stars as George Washington Winsterhammerman,a descendant ofthe first President of the United States,with no achievements to outdo his ancestor. George is an office worker at Level 3 of the Jeffers Corporation, which boasts that it is the “largest, friendliest, and most profitable business in the history of Mankind.” Except, in thisdystopian near-future, an epidemic is claiming a high death tollwhen employees and citizens are explodingat record numbers. George, who has become numb to his monotonous life, soon tries to escape from it when he thinks he might be showing symptoms of an explosive demise.Existential dread, odd humor, and Big Brother surveillanceare onCollider’s list of movies to watchif you likeSeverance. WhileVisioneersis not mentioned, it should be because of what it has in common with the series.
The Striking Similarities Between ‘Visioneers’ and ‘Severance’
The minimalism of the office room onLevel 3 resembles the department of Macrodata Refinement.Each office is lifeless with muted colors and the itching feeling of claustrophobia. Although Jeffers is not the underground maze-like Lumon, both want their employees to be wholly dedicated to the work, by any means necessary. Charisma (Mía Maestro),a soft-spoken, mysterious woman at Jeffers,frequently calls George to alert him of incoming announcements. Due to his unhappy marriage, the connection he begins to feel towards Charisma gives him a small dose of happiness, and she could be seen as his version ofMs. Casey (Dichen Lachman).
Theoppression put upon the characters in bothSeveranceandVisioneershas them looking for alternate ways to be fulfilled. When the self-help book by Rickens (Michael Chernus) is brought into Lumon, it becomes animportant piece of literaturefor the members of the Macrodata Refinement.The outside contraband confirms there is another outlet in liferather than employees’ worship ofcompany founder, Kier Eagan.A self-help book is also a major object people grasp for support inVisioneers. But while it opens up the mind of Mark S., it fails to bring the happiness it promises in the world of exploding people.The book emphasizes the use of butter products,which George’s wife Michelle (Judy Greer) clings to with little success.
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The loneliness and trauma affecting Outie Mark (Adam Scott)is what pushes him to be “severed,”but George doesn’t have the option. There are no two versions of him. His life is just as unfulfilling at work as it is at home, whereGeorge’s house is void of any human connection.He’s distant from Michelle while their son locks himself in his room, never to be seen on screen. Those aren’t the only differences.The absurdity ofVisioneersmakes its dystopia outrageouscompared to the underlying dread caused by Lumon Industries.
‘Visioneers’ Is Not as Paranoid as ‘Severance’
The logo of Jeffers has buildings in the shape of a middle finger; workers greet each other by flipping the finger too. If this sounds likethe work culture at Jeffers is carefree, don’t be fooled.To prevent the skyrocketing death rate of spontaneous human combustion, the Jeffers Corporation partners with the U.S. Presidentto keep company drones alive to maintain productivity.They soon require employees to be forced into having a device implanted into their neck to keep them in a mindless state of bliss.Visioneersis not the onlydark comedy about people exploding, but it is the one starring Zach Galifianakis, whose performance is of the straight man to the surrounding wackiness.
Thefeelings of inadequacy he suffers from humanize the storyeven when it goes into plot points such as the dreams he has of hisU.S. Presidentdescendent during the American Revolutionary War or when George’s brother takes over his backyard to suddenly live out his dream of becoming a pole vaulter.Visioneersis sad, funny, and odd,with the strongSeverancevibes that fans of the Apple TV+ series would love as they wait for a new episode to be released. While it doesn’t have aparanoia-filled conspiracy,Visoneersshares the same warning, just with exploding humans to get the point across.
Visioneers
