Actor Jacob Tremblay has grown up before our eyes, starting with his acclaimed performance in Room (streaming with a HBO Max subscription), as well as notable roles in Doctor Sleep, Good Boys and voicing the title role of Disney's Luca. He's now 19 years old, and is doing his most adult role yet as a young Ted Kaczynski in Janus Metz' Unabomber movie, arriving this weekend for those with a Netflix subscription. Prior to its release, the filmmaker spoke to CinemaBlend about why now is the right time to tell the infamous Unabomber's origin story in film.
Unabomber's story is told through two timelines. While we follow the manhunt for him in the '80s and '90s (led by Emmy winner Shailene Woodley's Joanna Miller), the audience also follows Ted as a young man in Harvard in the 1950s. As you can see in the vide above, I asked Metz about why now was the right time to unpack Kaczynski's history, and he told me:
Some of the stuff that Ted Kaczynski was about, you know, his fear of technology, his argument that technology alienates us from ourselves and makes us unhappy is something that we're discussing with the rise of AI, et cetera. It's become more and more relevant. That's not to say in any way that, you know, I condone Ted Kaczynski acts or the horrendous things that he did. But I think, you know, what he reacted to is something that is very relevant of the present.
When watching Unabomber, I was surprised to hear how many of the issues Ted Kaczynski was taking umbrage with still applied today. Specifically how technology leads to isolation, which is something that people have been saying for years in reaction to smart phones and social media. He also claimed that technology would eventually be used to surveil citizens, another hot topic at the moment.
Obviously Metz clarified that he's not defending Kaczynski's crimes, which included 16 bombings that killed three people and injured many more. But he sees the connection that Unabomber has to contemporary issues. Later in our conversation, the filmmaker spoke more about ways he thinks audiences might relate to the film, telling me:
And I also think the story of Ted Kaczynski, his isolation, his radicalization, his violence is unfortunately and sadly also an element that has become very relevant with the, you know, the social media echo chambers of how we become somehow more polarized in the world today.
Unabomber shows the experiments Ted Kaczynski participated in Harvard. Jacob Tremblay gives a strong performance, and the plot shows how the character (and real-life killer) become first manipulated and then disillusioned by the experience. At the same time we're shown glimpses of Ted as a recluse before his capture, and the juxtaposition is a powerful bit of filmmaking.
Janus Metz wrapped up his feelings by sharing another message that seems to be at the heart of Unabomber for him. In the filmmaker's words:
Hopefully we could look at the story and learn from it. And learn from sort of the tragedy that unfolds in the Ted Kaczynski story.
Tragedy is a running theme throughout Unabomber, starting from its chilling opening scene. It should be fascinating to see how Netflix users respond to it once it hits the streaming service this weekend. Only time will tell the sentiment online, and if it'll land in the Top 10 section.
Unabomber is streaming September 25th as part of the 2026 movie release list. It features an all-star cast led by Tremblay, including Shailene Woodley, Russell Crowe, and Annabelle Wallis.
