In Future, Being Ugly is a Crime so Everyone at 16 Must Have Plastic Surgery.
In this dystopian society, people are considered Ugly until they turn sixteen, then they're put through an obligatory operation to become Pretty that has a dark secret behind it.
In this dystopian society, people are considered Ugly until they turn sixteen, then they're put through an obligatory operation to become Pretty that has a dark secret behind it.
Category
š„
Short filmTranscript
00:00Hundreds of years ago, humanity exhausted Earth's natural resources, causing society
00:04to descend into chaos and war.
00:06The best scientists in the world took the mission of saving what was left of civilization
00:10and created genetically modified orchids that became the new energy source.
00:13However, humans still fought over their differences.
00:16So the scientists also created the transformation.
00:18When they turn 16, every person goes through a life-changing operation that transforms
00:22them into their most perfect self.
00:24These people are known as pretties and since they're perfect and happy living in the
00:27city, conflict is avoided.
00:29Those who haven't gone through the procedure yet are called uglies and stay in the dorms
00:32in Uglyville.
00:33Callie can't wait to become a pretty and constantly uses an app on the mirror to see
00:36her how she'd look after the procedure.
00:38Her best friend is Pieris and they call each other nose and squint since childhood.
00:42Sometimes they go to the bridge during curfew hours and use special glasses to watch the
00:45pretties partying in the city.
00:47Callie will be turning 16 in 3 months but Pieris is older and he's getting his operation
00:51tomorrow.
00:52They have matching scars on their hands and promise they won't let the doctors erase
00:55them when they become pretty.
00:56At that moment a patrol drone flies by so they run back to their dorms.
01:00The next day during assembly, Callie overhears other students discussing the smoke, a hidden
01:04place outside the city led by some guy named David.
01:07It's said many people escape the city and hide there, but most students don't think
01:10it's real.
01:11At that moment a hologram of Governor Cable appears and gives a speech on the importance
01:15of being pretty and perfect.
01:17Then all those who turned 16 are called and Callie says goodbye to Pieris while telling
01:20him to meet her at the bridge in 1 month.
01:22In the evening, Callie watches the fireworks above the city and remembers the day she met
01:26Pieris.
01:27Her parents had just dropped her at the dormitories and Pieris was behind her in line.
01:31They exchanged nicknames and hit it off, so they quickly became best friends.
01:35One day Pieris accidentally cut his hand when taking a tablet from Callie, so she got the
01:38same scar while they promised to stay friends forever.
01:41Days pass and Callie sticks to her routine of going to class and looking at herself in
01:44the mirror.
01:45She often checks her interface ring too, but there are no messages from Pieris.
01:49After a month, Callie uses her ring to hack the window open and leaves it behind because
01:53it has a tracker.
01:54She sneaks around and makes it to the bridge, but Pieris hasn't shown up.
01:58Getting worried, she uses some rope to climb on the bridge and dangerously moves under
02:01it until she makes it to the city.
02:03She sneaks around by hiding behind the plants, but when a partygoer drops a mask, Callie
02:07grabs it and puts it on.
02:09The mask puts on a hologram on her body, making it look like she's wearing a fancy dress.
02:14Now Callie can get into the party, and she's amazed by tall the decorations.
02:18Eventually she finds Pieris, who looks completely different and doesn't recognize her.
02:22Callie takes off her mask and asks why he didn't go to the bridge, so Pieris explains
02:25things are different now and he doesn't know how he could relate to her anymore.
02:29Callie can't believe what she's hearing and realizes how much he's truly changed when
02:32she notices his scar is gone.
02:34At that moment the security system detects her presence and Callie has to run away from
02:37the incoming guards.
02:39She gets stuck in a balcony, so she steals a bungee jacket and jumps.
02:42The fall is rather long but the jacket causes her to bounce and land gently nearby instead.
02:47Then Callie runs out of the city by climbing under the bridge again.
02:50When she accidentally kicks a stone into the water, a drone finds her and comes closer
02:53to arrest her.
02:55Suddenly her classmate Shay appears and makes Tally get on her hoverboard so they can fly
02:58away to escape.
02:59The drone tries following them, but Shay is a fast driver and manages to lose it by doing
03:03tons of crazy turns in the woods.
03:05To thank her for the help, Tally breaks into the kitchen and steals some snacks.
03:09The girls bond over their experiences and how hard it is to be left behind when all
03:12their friends turn 16 first.
03:15They realize they have the same birthday and get excited to have a friend to become pretty
03:18with.
03:19The next day Shay brings a second hoverboard and tries teaching Tally how to use it, but
03:22she immediately falls.
03:24At school Tally is shocked to see some girls give Shay back a book since those aren't around
03:28anymore.
03:29The girls are impressed by the text's description of surviving in nature and wonder if that's
03:32what the smoke is like.
03:34Tally borrows the book while the girls call her cool for her stunt last night, which makes
03:37her angry because it means Shay told everyone.
03:40She's afraid they may punish her by denying her the operation, but Shay assures her the
03:43system wants everyone to be a pretty.
03:45As days pass, Tally reads the book but she still keeps dreaming about the operation.
03:50Shay continues to teach her how to use the hoverboard and in return Tally keeps on hacking
03:53with her ring to get extra food.
03:55Tally also shows Shay her pretty designs on the app, but Shay doesn't have an account.
03:59In fact she isn't excited about the operation at all.
04:02Eventually Tally learns how to fly well and the girls use their hoverboards on crazy ramps
04:06to have fun.
04:07When Tally gives Shay the book back, she says she wishes she could visit that beautiful
04:10nature and Shay mentions that it wouldn't be so bad not to get the operation, but Tally
04:14thinks that's crazy talk.
04:16Suddenly Shay mentions the smoke and takes Tally to the edge of the woods.
04:19After leaving their rings on some branches, they cross the border by riding their hoverboards
04:23over the river.
04:24Eventually they make it to the ruins of an old city and Shay tells Tally about ancient
04:28objects like rollercoasters.
04:30Next Shay takes Tally into an abandoned building and drops the truth, the smoke is real and
04:33David will be arriving soon.
04:35Shay refuses to get the surgery and will be leaving tonight, so she wants Tally to come
04:39with her.
04:40However Tally turns her down, saying she doesn't want to be free she wants to be pretty.
04:44An upset Shay gives her directions to reach the smoke in case Tally ever changes her mind
04:48and hugs her before leaving on her hoverboard, following the sign of David's fire in another
04:51building.
04:52The next day it's Tally's birthday so she goes to the clinic for the surgery.
04:56However they call everyone except for her.
04:58Then a guard takes her away in an aircraft to see Dr. Cable, who explains Shay is missing.
05:03Tally says she doesn't know anything, but Cable can see her vitals on a screen that
05:06indicate she's lying.
05:08Cable tells Tally that Shay is in danger because David brainwashed her, and he's known for
05:11holding people against their will.
05:13When Tally insists she doesn't know anything, Cable sends her back to her dorm without getting
05:17the surgery.
05:18That night, Tally hears a noise and is surprised to see Pieris appearing at the window.
05:22Tally explains what happened and Pieris thinks she should tell Cable what she knows so they
05:26can finally be together.
05:27The next day Tally is again taken to see Cable, who tells her David is developing a weapon
05:31to attack the city so she needs Tally to infiltrate the smoke.
05:34Tally agrees to help and Cable promises that if she's successful, she'll get the surgery.
05:39She also gives Tally a necklace that flashes in her eyes, which she must activate when
05:42she finds the weapon's location.
05:44Afterward Tally follows Shay's instructions and rides the hoverboard on the old roller
05:48coaster for a few miles.
05:50Eventually she finds a gap and falls in the woods, but she's caught by a force field.
05:54There she finds abandoned train tracks, which she must follow to find the smoke.
05:57For the next few days Tally survives in the wild like she read in the book and admires
06:01nature like never before, she also gets to climb a mountain.
06:04The train tracks have a big gap in the middle of a chasm, so she gets on the hoverboard
06:08again and makes a big jump that shuts down the board.
06:11Tally starts falling very fast but before she hits the ground, the hoverboard reactivates
06:15and she reaches the other side of the chasm.
06:17Now she has to wait in a field of flowers like the instructions said.
06:20Meanwhile Cable brings Pieris to her office, revealing he went to her dorm the other night
06:24because she asked him to.
06:26Pieris admits it felt good to be in town, as if he could think clearly again.
06:30Then Cable announces a select few have been chosen for a new procedure and Pieris agrees
06:33to enter the surgery machine to get body enhancements.
06:36That night Tally wakes up coughing because of smoke.
06:39She discovers the field is on fire and doesn't know what to do, but suddenly a mysterious
06:43person picks her up and takes her away.
06:45This is David, who starts scanning Tally and her things for trackers.
06:48He finds one inside the hoverboard and removes it, but his scanner doesn't react to the necklace.
06:53At the same time Cable's men receive an alert about the tracker being removed and she sends
06:57people to search the area.
06:58In the morning, David and Tally make it to a smoke outpost, where Tally gets to reunite
07:02with her friend.
07:03Shay is super excited to see her, but Croy is suspicious.
07:07The group camps for the night and Shay asks about the necklace, so Tally pretends it was
07:10a gift from Pieris.
07:12Tally is surprised to see Shay happy after what Cable said and tries to express her worries,
07:16which makes Shay think she came to convince her to go back.
07:19An argument ensues and Tally agrees to give the smoke a chance.
07:22The next day Tally learns that the smoke stars fires on purpose to burn the orchids because
07:26they're actually toxic and destroy any place they're planted in.
07:29Tally doesn't believe him and says the orchids were the clean energy solution, but David
07:32explains that's a government lie and that the flowers are turning the planet into a
07:35wasteland.
07:36He wants to take Tally on their mission to prove it and Croy protests, but Shay vouches
07:40for her.
07:41The group has an old helicopter that they fixed with solar panels and they go on a flight.
07:45Now Tally can see the area where orchids used to grow, which is nothing but desert.
07:49Using a flamethrower, Shay burns down as many orchids as possible.
07:53At that moment Croy's tablet detects someone coming so David lowers the helicopter to hide
07:56in the smoke.
07:57The movement looses the rope holding Shay and she falls.
08:00Cable's scouts send her getting closer, so Tally ties a bag at the end of the rope for
08:04weight and throws it off before using it to go down.
08:07The helicopter starts to lose lift while Tally looks for Shay among the flames.
08:10Luckily she finds her and when a scout tries to get closer, Tally grabs the bag on fire
08:14and throws it at him.
08:16Then the girls hold onto the rope and the helicopter flies away right before a scout
08:19can jump on too.
08:20After the group lands, Croy points out the scouts could have only found them because
08:24of Tally, but Shay defends her and David thinks anyone who risks their lives for a smoke is
08:27worthy of a chance.
08:29The group camps for the night but Tally can't sleep because she keeps thinking of Cable
08:32and how she taught her to manipulate the rebels.
08:35She leaves the tent for a walk and finds David bathing in the river, so she gets back in
08:38the tent to hide her embarrassment.
08:40The following day Tally is blindfolded and finally taken to the smoke, where a whole
08:43community is thriving in nature.
08:45Tally thinks it's harder than in the city, but she admits food tastes better when you
08:49grow it yourself.
08:50Even old people must work and there's no money, so things are shared or traded.
08:54Most importantly everyone is there by choice.
08:56The train tracks are being recycled to make tools but they make no weapons because they're
09:00pacifists.
09:02In the afternoon Tally finds a weird door and tries looking inside but Croy catches
09:04her red-handed and sends her away.
09:07Tally starts using tools to help with the tracks, tastes spicy food for the first time,
09:11and shares the dances around the fire.
09:13Sometime later David teaches Tally how to use a hunting crossbow and they enjoy their
09:16time together.
09:17It takes her a few tries but eventually she hits the practice target.
09:21On their way back, David explains he never saw the city because he was born in the wild
09:24and grew up with his family.
09:26Tally is shocked to hear this because she barely knew her own parents.
09:29Then David gifts her a pair of gloves.
09:31At that moment a smoke member comes back from orchid burning with a wound, saying the
09:35scouts are still around.
09:36She also explains those scouts were faster and stronger than normal.
09:40Afterward Shay notices Tally wearing the gloves and points out it's a big deal.
09:44Objects have different value there and David made those, so giving them to Tally means
09:47he likes her.
09:48Shay tells Tally to make her choice already and stop playing with them.
09:52The next time Tally goes on a walk with David, she mentions she heard rumors of a weapon
09:55to destroy the city, so David takes her to a house far from camp.
09:59There she meets David's parents Oz and Maddie, who are the ones guarding all the books.
10:03They used to be cosmetic surgeons for the government and got suspicious of a few tests,
10:06so they started to investigate.
10:08It turns out the physical changes were just a cover to hide the fact people got their
10:11brain altered too.
10:13Becoming a pretty means being dumb and slow under a fake sense of happiness so the state
10:16could easily keep them under control.
10:18The operation has also killed many people, which was kept secret.
10:22When Cable realized Oz and Maddie knew the truth, she stole all their research.
10:26People working for the state-like doctors were actually given a cure so they could think
10:29clearly while working, so David's parents chose to flee the city and grow old normally
10:33in the woods.
10:34They've been looking for a way to recreate the cure, but there's a synthetic component
10:37they don't have so they only have a base serum.
10:39This is the so-called weapon that could destroy the city.
10:42After the meeting is over, Tally throws her necklace into the fire, choosing to stay with
10:46the smoke.
10:47She also tries telling David that she's done terrible things, but he doesn't care because
10:51she's a new person now, then they share a kiss.
10:53In the fire, the necklace sparks.
10:56In the morning, city aircraft arrive at the smoke and open fire.
10:59Everyone starts running away and the scouts chase after them, only to fall for the traps
11:03already in place like nets and logs.
11:05Unfortunately they're too fast and strong so traps aren't enough to stop them.
11:09Soon they're knocking down and capturing every rebel on their way, including Shay.
11:13Tally manages to find a hiding spot with David, who wants to go out to help.
11:16However she stops him since they're too strong for him.
11:19The duo sneaks to the spot where they're gathering all the prisoners and Tally is devastated
11:22to discover Pieris has become a scout.
11:25Oz and Maddie are captured at the same time Cable arrives and demands to know where David
11:28is.
11:29The parents refuse to talk, so Cable orders Pieris to kill Oz.
11:33David and Tally run out to stop him, but it's too late.
11:36Then Cable tells everyone that Tally has been working for her and now the smoke members
11:39hate her.
11:40While everyone is distracted, Maddie hides the serum in David's pocket.
11:44As Cable announces everyone will receive the surgery, Tally runs to the supply shack and
11:48starts a fire.
11:49She also grabs a crossbow and escapes through the window while a scout tries to break in.
11:53Suddenly the fire causes an explosion and it throws the scout back, it also allows David
11:57to run away.
11:58A scout comes after him, however Tally stops him with an arrow.
12:02Pieris wants to join the chase, but Cable announces they're leaving.
12:05Some scouts destroy Maddie's research and set the area on fire while the others push
12:09all the prisoners into the aircraft.
12:11After they're gone, David gathers the few supplies he can find for a rescue mission.
12:15Tally tries approaching him and he attacks her with a knife, barely stopping himself
12:19from hurting her.
12:20She wants to help him to rescue the others and he points out he doesn't trust her anymore,
12:23so Tally explains he needs her because he's never been to the city.
12:27Sometime later in the city, Tally approaches the students that read Shay's book and introduces
12:30them to David to prove that the smoke is real.
12:33Tally borrows an interface ring from them and asks them to gather lots of kids to create
12:36a distraction.
12:38Soon a bunch of teenagers write the smoke lives in the sky using their hoverboards.
12:42Meanwhile David and Tally wait for the aircraft to leave the clinic and get inside using hoverboards
12:46too.
12:47They go through the aircraft tunnel and land safely, thanks to the bungee vests.
12:50They carefully sneak around and Tally uses the ring to hack a lock, but this isn't just
12:54a kitchen and it doesn't work.
12:55Suddenly the door is opened by a pretty and David immediately starts fighting him.
12:59They exchange a few hits before David overpowers him and holds him against the wall, so Tally
13:03takes his ring.
13:04Then David throws him in the corridor and Tally locks the door.
13:07As the alarms go off, the duo finds the cell and uses the ring to free everyone.
13:12Tally realizes Shay isn't around and Croy reveals she was already given the surgery.
13:16Meanwhile most of the group escapes, David, Tally, and Maddie go looking for Shay, but
13:20when they make it to the lab it's too late, she's already a pretty.
13:23Tally cries and apologizes, yet Shay swears she loves it.
13:27At that moment Cable and Pieris arrive and force the trio to get into the machine so
13:30they can finally get the surgery.
13:32The process begins but before the needles can start cutting, the smokes helicopter appears
13:36outside and Croy opens fire with a flamethrower.
13:39Cable and Pieris are forced to run and the machines get damaged, so the system fails
13:42and the operation stops.
13:44The trio comes out and Tally grabs Shay while Maddie gets the component she needed from
13:47a cupboard.
13:48The group runs to the roof and finds Pieris, so Tally tries to make him see reason by using
13:52their nicknames and pointing out a piece of glass gave him his scar again.
13:56Pieris gently touches Tally's face and David thinks it's an attack, so he tackles Pieris
14:00and tries to fight him.
14:01Pieris is too strong and keeps beating him up, but before he can kill him Tally uses
14:05a hoverboard to move fast and tackles Pieris, making him fall off the edge.
14:09He holds on for a second and says her nickname before he falls into a waterfall.
14:13Afterward the group escapes on hoverboards and see the other teens making the drones
14:16crash against each other in the sky.
14:18They hide in the abandoned city and Maddie takes the serum from David's pocket to finish
14:22mixing the cure.
14:23However she can't be sure if it'll actually work or have bad side effects for the brain.
14:27Shay doesn't want to take it and Shay refuses to force it on anyone, so Tally volunteers
14:31to be the test subject.
14:33She'll hand herself in and let them do the surgery so she can then take the cure, promising
14:36to keep a sign for them to know if it works.
14:39The aircraft and cable are coming, so after a final goodbye, the group runs away while
14:43Tally lets the scouts arrest her.
14:45Sometime later Tally is the perfect pretty living in a very fancy apartment.
14:48She swears she loves being like this, but the scar on her hand reveals she's still herself
14:52and lying as a spy.