Portlingrad is a film about strangers from all walks of life needing to work together for survival after a surprise military invasion of the west coast by the Chinese government. They have come to claim it as their own property as a trade off for the multi trillion dollar debt owed to them by the United States. The people of Portland must overcome their fear and mistrust of one another if they are to have any hope of victory. |
Where does the name Portlingrad come from?
Portlingrad is derived from Stalingrad which was a Russian city that was surrounded and invaded by the Nazis in World War II. The Russian defense of Stalingrad was one of the fiercest battles of the war and was ultimately what turned the tide against Germany. This film attempts to portray how Americans would respond in similar conditions.
Is this film racist against Chinese people?
This film is in no way racist. China is simply a country that is winning an international game of monopoly and is simply collecting something of value from a nation that has borrowed trillions of dollars from them and can't pay it back. Portlingrad brings into focus this disturbing cycle of borrowing and increasing debt while contemplating one possibility how this cycle will conclude.
So who wins?
You'll have to find that out for yourself.