Dead End Drive-In

Australia, the US, and North Korea are the only functioning nation-states left on Earth. The economy has collapsed and cars are a commodity, with parts fought over by salvage gangs. The state seizes drive-ins and turns them into camps, where the lure of shelter and food masks coercion and control.

In the near future, dirty drive-in theatres are repurposed as concentration camps for the unemployed and undesirables. The Star Drive-In is surrounded by high fences, and access roads are electrified S-Roads that cannot be walked on. The setting blends decayed leisure with brutal state control, where prisoners live among salvaged cars, drugs, and exploitation films as a tool of manipulation.

🔒 Oppression

The drive-in camps are a symbol of state power, using confinement, surveillance, and the exploitation of prisoners to maintain order. Police collaboration with camp owners shows how authority benefits from keeping the vulnerable in line. The environment aims to deter resistance and normalize euthanasia for noncompliance.

🔥 Despair

Inmates are drawn into drugs, junk food, and lowbrow entertainment, creating a culture of complacency. Hope is eroded as the system feeds mistrust and violence, making escape seem unlikely. The bleak atmosphere reinforces the sense that personal autonomy is a dangerous fantasy.

🗝️ Freedom

Crabs's attempted escape challenges the camp’s control and exposes the fragility of the system. The pursuit of personal autonomy clashes with coercive power, highlighting the cost and risk of rebellion. True freedom requires breaking through the state’s surveillance and roadblocks to reach the outside world.