‘The Metaphysical Fabric That Binds Us’

Minority Report is in many ways a typical detective thriller wrapped up in a science-fiction setting. The science-fiction elements are evident in the futuristic architecture mixed with the more recognisable town houses and apartment blocks, as well as the technologies of travel, entertainment and crime detection. The detective thriller elements reside in the figure of John Anderton who discovers corruption at the heart of the force he has made his life. The two genres merge most effectively, and visibly, in the depiction of detection technologies whose powerful effect is displayed in the opening minutes of the film. By the year 2054 it has become possible to predict murders, and a Pre-Crime Unit exists with the sole purpose of preventing murder. The display of futuristic technology is interesting not only because of how the filmmakers behind Minority Report foresee an extension of surveillance culture, but also because the depiction of these technologies suggests innovative interactions between performance, actors and space. In order to address this I develop an argument introducing the ideas of performative space and proprioception, as these allow a means of articulating the distinct spatial arrangements of Minority Report.