One Child Nation (2019)

This documentary tells the story of China's one child per family room that started in 1979 and ended in 2015. During that period there was severe pressure for families to have just one child per household for the good of the country.
In some places it meant fining, tearing down houses or even forcing abortions for those not following the rule.

Fascinating and, at times, very hard to watch. But it does raise some interesting questions. It shows how a propaganda machine can make people believe in a 1984 or Brave New World kind of way, what they want them to believe, and how effective that propaganda is when backed by force.
The people seemed to know that what they were doing was wrong and even horrific, but the propaganda, peer pressure and the threat of economic devastation made the policy work. In many ways the effect was very similar to what the Germans went through under the Nazi regime.
Here we are in the twenty first century. Sometimes it seems we are not making progress as a civilization. Are the horrors actually getting worst? Is it possible we could be headed for another Dark Age?
Watching this film leaves one feeling very pessimistic about our future.