Release Date: September 13, 2024
Official Site: Netflix
Cast: Joey King, Luke Eisner, Laverne Cox
In a world where perfection was not just a standard but a requirement, Tally Youngblood waited impatiently for her sixteenth birthday. In this futuristic society, every teenager underwent a transformative cosmetic surgery at sixteen, turning them into “Pretties.” Tally was excited to finally join the ranks of the beautiful, to live in the glamorous New Pretty Town, and to leave behind her life as an “Ugly.”
The day of Tally’s surgery arrived, and she was prepped and ready. However, her excitement was tinged with sadness because her friend Shay had run away. Shay had always been different, questioning the need for the surgery and the societal norms that dictated their lives. Before she left, Shay had given Tally a cryptic message about a place called the Smoke, where people who refused to conform lived.
Tally’s surgery was postponed because the authorities wanted her to find Shay and bring her back. With a tracking device implanted in her hand, Tally set out to find her friend. Her journey took her through the wilderness, away from the comforts of her city life. Along the way, she met David, a boy from the Smoke who showed her a different way of life.
David challenged Tally’s beliefs about beauty and conformity. He showed her that there was more to life than being pretty, that individuality and uniqueness were valuable. As Tally spent more time in the Smoke, she began to question the society she had been a part of. The people of the Smoke were happy, living in harmony with nature, and they valued each other for their skills and personalities, not their looks.
Tally found Shay, and for a while, they lived together in the Smoke. But Tally knew she couldn’t stay. She had seen the truth about her society, and she couldn’t go back to being a mindless Pretty. With David’s help, Tally devised a plan to bring down the system that forced conformity on everyone.
They returned to the city, and Tally used her tracking device to gain access to the central control room. There, she learned the truth about the surgery. It wasn’t just about making everyone beautiful; it was about controlling their minds. The surgery implanted a chip that suppressed individuality and made people compliant.
Tally destroyed the system, freeing everyone from the control of the Pretties. The city was in chaos, but in the midst of it, Tally saw hope. People were finally free to be themselves, to express their individuality, and to choose their own paths.
Tally and David returned to the Smoke, where they started a new life together. They knew that the world was still filled with uncertainties, but they were hopeful. They had each other, and they had the knowledge that they had made a difference.
In the end, Tally realized that her journey was not just about finding Shay or saving her from the authorities. It was about finding herself, discovering her own strength, and learning to stand up for what she believed in. She had started out eager to conform, to become a Pretty, but she had ended up a rebel, a girl who had changed the world.