Uglies

Teenagers are essentially brainwashed to follow a social system that convinces them they are ugly until they are operated on to become perfect versions of themselves. The operations appear painful and leave internal scars. They can also erase individual personalities and histories. A cure is said to potentially cause seizures, brain damage, and even death. Teens cut their hands on glass, fall from great heights, are attacked by robotic wardens, are nearly consumed by fire, and are rounded up and imprisoned. A person's neck is broken and he's killed in front of family members, and another main character falls to his death. The world has been destroyed because of an overreliance on fossil fuels, leading to climate change and ensuing chaos and war.

"Badass," "hell," "Oh my God."

Teens hold crushes and two kiss. A female watches a male bathing in a river.

The film is set in a dystopian future where an authoritarian system convinces people to question their self-worth, follow a leader without question, and undergo an operation that will transform them into a single definition of beauty. The transformation doesn't erase race, gender, or ethnicity, but it does eliminate individual characteristics like a larger nose, shorter legs, or the potential for wrinkles. A Black trans actor (Laverne Cox) embodies the lead role of the authority figure responsible for conducting these physical transformations. She tells willing subjects it will free them from hatred and discrimination based on the way they look. The cast for the film, playing both heroes and anti-heroes, includes Black, White, and Asian actors.