Snowpiercer

Episode 35 of the Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs podcast, hosted by Clare Coombe, titled "Snowpiercer" was published on August 10, 2025 and runs 83 minutes.

August 10, 2025 ·83m · Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs

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Summary

Episode 35 centres on the 2013 film Snowpiercer, another Bong Joon Ho film to follow Mickey 17, with some reference to the 2020 4-season show. We discuss the context of hubristic attempts to maintain global capitalism while preventing global heating, and compare the life-raft train with other post-apocalyptic sanctuaries. We look at the depiction of class and social mobility depicted in the film, with particular reference to Minister Mason's (Tilda Swinton) shoe-and-hat speech. We consider the metaphor of economic inequality in the film in the face of global inequality and resource apartheid, with reference to Mikaela Loach's It's Not That Radical. We allude to the data presented by The Equality Trust and in Michael Sandel's Justice. We probe the argument that the train is a closed ecosystem, and compare it to the world as ecosystem, and how resource abuse sits alongside global inequity. In particular, we look at Wilford's argument that he is simulating natural selection to control the train's population, with reference to historical attempts at population planning policy. We pay particular attention to the way in which revolution is depicted in the film, including the idea of revolution as beneficial to the authoritarian leader when that leader is able to manipulate the attempt. Masha shares the theory that links Snowpiercer to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and we provide our interpretations of the film's ending: hopeful for humanity, hopeful for the earth, or just hopeful for the polar bear! If you enjoy this episode, don't forget to rate and review. You can find out more about what we do on Substack, Bluesky, Instagram, and our website.

Episode Description

Episode 35 centres on the 2013 film Snowpiercer, another Bong Joon Ho film to follow Mickey 17, with some reference to the 2020 4-season show.

We discuss the context of hubristic attempts to maintain global capitalism while preventing global heating, and compare the life-raft train with other post-apocalyptic sanctuaries.

We look at the depiction of class and social mobility depicted in the film, with particular reference to Minister Mason's (Tilda Swinton) shoe-and-hat speech. We consider the metaphor of economic inequality in the film in the face of global inequality and resource apartheid, with reference to Mikaela Loach's It's Not That Radical. We allude to the data presented by The Equality Trust and in Michael Sandel's Justice.

We probe the argument that the train is a closed ecosystem, and compare it to the world as ecosystem, and how resource abuse sits alongside global inequity. In particular, we look at Wilford's argument that he is simulating natural selection to control the train's population, with reference to historical attempts at population planning policy.

We pay particular attention to the way in which revolution is depicted in the film, including the idea of revolution as beneficial to the authoritarian leader when that leader is able to manipulate the attempt.

Masha shares the theory that links Snowpiercer to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and we provide our interpretations of the film's ending: hopeful for humanity, hopeful for the earth, or just hopeful for the polar bear!

If you enjoy this episode, don't forget to rate and review. You can find out more about what we do on Substack, Bluesky, Instagram, and our website.