- Damian Lewis narrates George Orwell in Raoul Peck’s documentary Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5.
- The film premiered at Cannes 2025 and won Critics Choice Documentary Awards for Best Narration and Best Score.
- The National Board of Review named it one of the year’s top five documentaries.
- The documentary is available to rent on Amazon and has sparked classroom and public debate about truth and propaganda.
H2: Damian Lewis as Orwell — a voice that grounds the film
Damian Lewis supplies the intimate voice of George Orwell in Raoul Peck’s documentary Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5. The film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and has drawn wide attention for its archival imagery, urgent themes and Lewis’s measured narration. Critics awarded the film Best Narration and Best Score at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, while the National Board of Review listed it among the year’s top five documentaries.
H3: What the documentary covers
Peck’s film traces Orwell’s final years on the Isle of Jura and connects his warnings in 1984 to contemporary examples of propaganda and democratic erosion. It juxtaposes Orwell’s writing with historic footage and modern political images to show how language, repetition and media control can twist truth — the documentary’s title references the novel’s chilling image of forced belief that “2 + 2 = 5.”
H3: Cannes premiere and Q&A with Raoul Peck
At a screening and Q&A at New York’s IFC Center, Peck described his casting choice: he wanted an actor who could make viewers feel Orwell’s presence. Peck told the audience that the narrator must become Orwell, not just read him, and praised Lewis’s stage-trained discipline and gravitas. Lewis recorded the narration after close collaboration with Peck, who said the process involved multiple viewings and studio sessions to find the right tone.
H2: Reception and relevance
Reviewers and audience members highlighted Lewis’s calm, authoritative delivery as a key to the film’s emotional impact. The documentary moves between colonial Burma, World War II, and current events — including footage of global leaders and the January 6 Capitol attack — to argue that manipulation of truth is not limited to outright dictatorships but also appears in democratic contexts.
H3: Educational and public impact
Scholars and teachers have already discussed adding Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 to syllabuses dealing with propaganda, truth and democratic backsliding. The film’s blend of Orwell’s texts — including his line from Why I Write about exposing lies — and contemporary footage has made it a conversation starter about media, power and civic rights.
H2: Where to watch
Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 is available to rent on Amazon. The film’s recognition at festivals and awards shows, along with Lewis’s praised narration and Peck’s directorial framing, make it a frequently recommended documentary for viewers interested in history, politics and modern media.
H4: Quick facts
- Awards: Critics Choice Documentary Awards — Best Narration (Damian Lewis) and Best Score.
- Premiere: Cannes Film Festival, 2025.
- Availability: Rent on Amazon.
- Notable: Lewis previously voiced the George Orwell talking statue in London and has been publicly active on Instagram about the project.
Image Referance: https://www.fanfunwithdamianlewis.com/?p=55797
