World at Stake (2025) by Total Refusal - Review

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by Total Refusal

grade: 7.5

World at Stake is a short film that, through the employment of a new, innovative cinematic language, never becomes banal in urging us to act, to take control of our lives, and not to allow pre-established rules to influence our existence, our future. At the Diagonale 2025.

Against all the rules

We’ve known for a long time now that whenever we have the opportunity to watch a film made by the Total Refusal collective, we certainly won’t be disappointed. Yes, because the famous group of filmmakers usually carry out a careful and never banal analysis of society and the world we live in through images taken from some of the most famous video games of the moment, which for the occasion are processed and edited in such a way as to almost give us the impression of being inside a video game. This is also the case with World at Stake, presented in Austria for the first time at the Diagonale 2025, which takes its images from the video games FIFA 2023, PGA Tour 2k21 and Dirt Rally 2.0.

And so, in World at Stake we witness three sporting competitions, each of which has a decidedly unexpected development. Initially, we find ourselves on a football pitch. Player Patrick has the number 99 on his shirt and looks around almost confused before taking action, while music emphasises the importance of the moment. All his teammates look the same as him, yet he starts playing almost alone against everyone, before something totally unexpected happens.

Meanwhile, a golfer is about to hit the ball, but inexplicably does practically nothing, almost as if he couldn’t even hit it, while the audience in the stands waits for something to finally happen. And again, a rally driver suddenly changes direction, not following the predetermined route. His co-driver asks him why he always behaves like this, starting a dialogue with almost existential connotations.

In World at Stake, therefore, we see how some fundamental rules of sport (and of the aforementioned videogames) are totally distorted by those who must guide the actions of the characters, causing completely unexpected consequences. And here the discussion immediately becomes broader and more complex: are we really free in the world in which we live (unlike what the world itself wants us to believe)? What does society expect from us? What would happen if, all of a sudden, we decide to rebel against all pre-established conventions?

Through skilful directing and editing, the Total Refusal collective has succeeded in just over fifteen minutes in giving us a subtle and highly courageous short film. A short film that sometimes makes us feel confused, disoriented. A short film that, through the study of a new, innovative cinematic language, never becomes banal in urging us to act, to take control of our lives, to not let pre-established rules influence our existence, our future. In short, the message of World at Stake arrives loud and clear. Are we ready, then, to finally take action?