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Mark Ruffalo‘s new movie, All That’s Left Of You, announced theatrical dates, and the promotional post swiftly became a hub for heated political debates. The film is described as a story “about how we arrived at this moment,” with an official release date of January 9th. Many had made supportive comments of their own, expressing excitement about the project, but the comment thread soon deteriorated into outcries against Ruffalo’s political activism and Hollywood’s alleged hypocrisy.
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The official poster reveal for ‘All That’s Left Of You’ had meant to be a calm moment, but the caption had laden it with serious meaning: “This is not just a story of the past — it’s the story of how we arrived at this moment.” For an actor as politically vocal as Mark Ruffalo, it is never just about the art. So, almost immediately, the comment section morphed into an arena for battle which very much reflected the divided climate the film looks to address.
Initial festival feedback was mostly overwhelmingly favorable. “I saw it at Sydney Film Festival and adored it, moved me beyond words, everyone needs to see this.” A second commented that the film was “beyond breathtaking, and essential.” Hoping for “massive viewership,” they continued: “So moving, so true, so powerful.”
Equally swiftly, the discussions veered away from artistic appreciation and into political confrontation. A large portion of the comments specifically called out Ruffalo and fellow celebrities regarding their political stances. “You’re all about those subscriptions and social justice. Until it cost you money, huh? Millionaire?!” accused one user. This calling out of performative activism by America’s wealthy elite kept on coming.
The nastiest of comments related to foreign policy and the campaigns and machinations of the lobbyist groups. Oratorically at length, one commenter begins, “@markruffalo I wanna have a request from you to use your influence TELL YOUR FOLLOWERS AND SPREAD THE WORDS TO ‘FREE AMERICA FROM AIPAC’… THE REAL PROTEST SHOULD BE AGAINST THE ‘AIPAC’ TO FREE IT FROM CONGRESS IF WE REALLY WANT THIS CEASEFIRE!” This call to action is an ultimate example of how various interest groups target Ruffalo in an attempt to utilize his platform to affect shifts in political power.
Another full-length rant, rendered in full caps, rained down on several celebrities by name, including Tom Hanks and Jimmy Kimmel, charging them with being unabashedly detached from the working class: “YOU CELEBRITIES HAVE NO RIGHT TO PRETEND THAT YOU KNOW THE PLIGHT OF THE POOR PEOPLE… YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE REAL WORLD. YOU ARE NOT AFFECTED BY INFLATION OR THE WARS.” It ended with a mention of the Hunter Biden laptop, immediately followed by a demand to end “hypocrisy.”
Along with the circus that had enveloped the event, pragmatic queries started being posed about the film’s distribution. “Which theaters select or all? Would love to see it at my local one,” asked one hopeful. Another stake their claim: “Hope it’s a global distribution and it makes like 500 million at the box office that’s the dream.”
Truly, those hundreds of politically charged comments may very well be a telling anchor of the present day for artist-activists like Ruffalo: any work they produce tends to be overshadowed by their celebrity. A few, like the one with a 30-character comment of just “Cannot wait to see it,” managed to speak to the film itself, but lamentably, those voices were drowned out by the louder enraged ones. “This needs to be seen by everyone,” a hopeful supporter stated, with the double meaning of that statement now in alluding both to the film’s message and to the spilling over of this eruption in the public. This kind of political activism is a hallmark of Ruffalo’s public presence.
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The announcement somehow became the meta-commentary for ‘All That’s Left Of You’ — the film that promises to look at how we got to this present day, and the incredible response to the announcement will be a live study into the division between artistic intent and public reception. It has probably never been as clear as it is today: for a man like Mark Ruffalo, the conversation will simply not stay about the movie.