Czas – najcenniejsze z dóbr. Handel czasem w dystopijnych społeczeństwach jutra – analiza audiowizualnych obrazów

Time – the most valuable of goods. Time trading in the dystopian societies of tomorrow – an analysis of audiovisual images Time is the master of the world, time is money – there are many temporal terms in proverbs, which indicate the importance of time. Time cannot be saved, it cannot be added, but it flows inexorably. Since the beginning of time, humanity has been looking for ways to extend life and achieve eternal life. Many cultural texts describe attempts made by people since ancien times to find the philosopher’s stone, which – as it was believed – was supposed to help in preparing the elixir of life, ensuring immortality and cleansing the body of diseases. With the development of medicine and technology, as well as the corresponding improvement in living and sanitary conditions and changes in lifestyle, the view on the magical power of elixirs and stones evolved, and faith gave way to science. However, humanity has not given up the dream of reaching the age of men described in the Bible, born before the Flood, such as, among others, Methuselah (969 years), Noah (950 years), Adam (930 years), Seth (912 years) and Enosh (905 years). As data from the Central Statistical Office indicate, the average human life expectancy is gradually increasing, and with it the appetite for immortality. Searching for ways to extend life and achieve immortality is a theme eagerly pursued by filmmakers who paint futuristic visions of the future. Pop culture has created not only various scenarios for improving the human body, extending life, but also for trading time. In films showing a dystopian, pessimistic vision of the future world in which technological development has reached a very high level, time has been monetized. It serves as a means of payment, constituting the most valuable good and value that divides societies into groups and castes, and examples of this include, among others: such films as „Race Against Time” directed by Andrew Niccol from 2011 or „Paradise” directed by Boris Kunz from 2023. The article will discuss the issue of the value of time and film concepts of its monetization and the transfer of life time between human beings. Its aim is to answer the question of how the dream of eternal life is realized by creators of cultural works, which include both literature and film.