Left disheartened and motivated to seek out change by the breakdown of a relationship due to the ideals set upon her and her lover by society, Maja Borg embarks upon a personal journey of self-discovery and social, environmental and economic change that leads her, amongst others, to Jacques Fresco: a social engineer and futurist, who is doing everything in his power to set into motion an alternative lifestyle, known as The Venus Project.

Five years after Ottica Zero, a short film that explored her then relationship with Italian actress Nadva Cazan and their desire to find a new, less scrupulous way of living, the Swedish filmmaker releases her feature debut Future My Love, a continuation of sorts that sees her blend elements of documentary, love story and political opinion to further her investigations into how various alternative ways of life could well improve not only the individual, but an entire civilisation.

Grand on scale, yet intimate in execution, Borg does well to immediately set Future My Love apart from its obvious roots as a documentary through and through by infusing it with a very personal narration that, from its blissful start to bitter ending, tracks her relationship with Cazan. Unquestionably eye-opening and educational, by opting for this unique approach, the weighty issues being addressed are able to be consumed in such a way that allows them to feel appropriate to each and every viewers’ individual lives.

That said, it’s clear the subject-matter being explored here is of significant importance and has been both researched and deliberated upon by Borg herself, particularly through the no-holds-barred observation she leads into Fresco’s efforts and the dissatisfaction others feel towards the pre-conditioned way of life. But it’s always presented in a personal way that ensures it’s as much understandable as it is thought-provoking, yet never comes across as being dumbed down to make it fit for a wide demographic.

It’s through the way she infuses and compares the devastating insights into the world’s current plight and various alternate lifestyles with a more intimate, personal experience of love that makes Future My Love so pertinent in today’s – and any other’s for that matter – society. The fact that the structured, pre-conditioned way in which we live our lives has a knock-on effect on the ways in which we conduct our own relationships, whether they be platonic or romantic, makes what Borg is saying about how we need to establish a society that allows each and every one of us to feel as integrated and useful as possible – to even abolishing the flawed policies and monetary positioning to which we live by – all the more veritable and inescapable.

While it’s left frustratingly ambiguous as to the true benefits these alternative lifestyles will have on ourselves or the world as a whole in years to come, and even who Borg is aiming her statement at, Future My Love is undoubtedly a captivating amalgamation of styles and propositions that will, for those willing to invest their time and minds, empower them to do every bit they can to make a change to their own behaviour that may well have a positive effect on society and the world’s state of health. Her bold methods may result in the film’s lack of mainstream appeal, but Future My Love is a discovery well worth making.

[Rating:4/5]