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HyperNormalisation

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description HyperNormalisation Overview

HyperNormalisation is a 2016 BBC documentary film by British filmmaker Adam Curtis. Through a montage of archival footage, Curtis presents the thesis that since the 1970s, politicians, financial institutions, and media conglomerates have deliberately simplified global complexities. He argues they constructed a fake world managed by a disconnected elite to maintain power and avoid addressing genuine societal issues. The documentary explores how this manufactured reality leads to widespread public confusion and the rise of unpredictable political movements.

help HyperNormalisation FAQ

What does Adam Curtis mean by hypernormalisation?

Curtis uses the term for a condition in which institutions and citizens recognize that the official picture of reality is false or inadequate but continue acting as though it were normal. The film traces this idea through politics, finance, technology, media, and conflict from the 1970s onward.

Why does HyperNormalisation spend so much time on Syria and Libya?

Adam Curtis uses events involving Hafez al-Assad, Muammar Gaddafi, the United States, and the Middle East to argue that complex conflicts were turned into simpler public narratives. These sections support his broader claim that governments increasingly managed perceptions instead of underlying problems.

Where was HyperNormalisation originally released?

The BBC released the documentary through BBC iPlayer in 2016. It runs for close to three hours and uses extensive archival footage with Curtis's narration rather than conventional presenter-led interviews.

Is HyperNormalisation connected to Adam Curtis's other documentaries?

Yes, it revisits themes found in The Century of the Self, The Power of Nightmares, and All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace. Each examines how political power, psychology, technology, or simplified stories shape what societies accept as reality.

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