How is culture related to the rate of loan repayment? What is culture in general? Why do cultures differ, and are some of them better than others? Why do certain elements become obsolete, while others have stayed the same for thousands of years? Why are some easy to replace, and others stubbornly resist change though they do more harm than good? What is multiculturalism today?
Some people do things well, others don’t. Those who do them well have more sex and pay their mortgage faster. And that raises a question: is there a general rule defining how to do things well?
– this provocative question opens the film How Culture Works?
The film is seemingly innocent, considering the themes it explores. It does not say a single word on controversial topics, clash of civilisations or violent conflicts between supporters of different world-views.
Using very simple examples, the authors show what culture is, where it comes from, why and how it changes. The film provides arguments which are impossible to refute, and the principles of how culture works formulated on the basis of them are universal. They apply to both the controversial problems of multicultural society and the individual, everyday choices of each of us. Their understanding allows for better use of culture and, thus, for better living.
We wanted the film to be a highly practical guide, to help consciously shape our way of life in an increasingly complex world.
– declared the authors.
The whole talk is based on a striking image of culture understood as a strictly practical tool created by our ingenious species to satisfy its natural needs. The narration is light-hearted, almost nonchalant, yet the filmmakers draw on a solid foundation: research and scientific literature.
When we started working on the script, we only had an outline of the arguments. While writing it, we were trying to figure out these issues for ourselves, and to find out how culture really works.
– said the authors.
The action takes place in an undefined blue space. The style of narration, rooted in contemporary, post-internet aesthetics, oscillates between a business video explanation, an Adam Słodowy programme and a popular science TV show in the style of a TED talk.
The leading role – that of the narrator – is played by the actress and traveller Marta Manowska, known to the wider audience from popular TVP programmes.