“Downsizing is about saving yourself.”

Downsizing, the act of shrinking oneself to five inches, is the new trend, as scientists made this new discovery to help with overpopulation and stress relief. Main characters Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey Safranek (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressful lives and live in Leisureland, a community designed specifically for those that have been downsized.

Learning that their $150,000 savings would turn into $1.5 million, the idea of downsizing began to appealed to them.

After going through the downsizing procedure himself, Paul gets a call from Audrey that due to family and friends, she was unable to go through with the procedure. This irreversible procedure will not allow Paul to return to normal size, thus he must go to Leisureland alone.

Once there, Paul is quick to buy a house and begin his life alone, without Audrey. This newly downsized life allows Paul and others to live as ‘kings in their castle,’ leaving less of a carbon footprint. After a couple days of Paul living like a “king,” he finds out that his cleaning lady Ngoc Lan (Hong Chau) is a protester against the downsizing procedure and was downsized against her will. With this new information, Paul wants to further investigate the company behind the procedure.

Omaha native Alexander Payne directed this film, holding the premiere at the newly-renovated Dundee Theatre. While Downsizing was filmed on locations in Norway and around the country, many of scenes were filmed right here in Omaha, with Omahans’ serving as extras.

This wasn’t Payne’s first movie he filmed in Omaha. Election, About Schmidt, and Nebraska also boast famous landmarks recognizable by most Omahans.

Already nominated for Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay, this film is proving to pack a bigger punch than its name.

The great Matt Damon was able to portray Paul post-downsizing, showing the devastation he felt knowing he couldn’t return to normal size. Damon, notably from Saving Private Ryan, Jason Bourne, Ocean Eleven, The Martian and Good Will Hunting delivers another Oscar-worthy performance.

With a $65 million dollar budget, Downsizing has strong acting, storytelling and camera shots making this movie a must see.courtesy of IMDb