Finally saw this and liked it a lot. There's a lot to parse here if you go in ready to dig into an exploration of race relations, obviously, but even that's just gravy if you want it to be; on a shallower and more basic level this is just a very well-made horror movie. A little better at the beginning than at the end, but aren't they all? Kudos to Daniel Kaluuya for shouldering the load here so well; almost everything takes place from his increasingly frightened and unsettled point of view, and he crushes it. Kudos as well to Jordan Peele, because holy shit, this is a directorial debut? And lastly, small-time kudos to Allison Williams, who between this role and playing Marnie on Girls is just so willing and able to play the worst characters imaginable.
But yeah, see this one at some point. It is pretty good.
Just saw this as well, and also really liked it.
ReplyDeleteIt's didn't hold up quite as well when compared to the near flawless critical response it received. Nevertheless, it was an incredible watch.
Now onto spoiler talk:
So a minor confusion I had while watching were the family's grandparents. Why were they masquerading as servants? I mean, after we get that PSA on how this brain transplant works it's implied that the grandfather spearheaded this whole body-snatching operation. Right? But rather than them being the masterminds behind everything, they seem like, well... servants! Maybe they were the first to go through this procedure, and, as a beta model, they're not quite all there (mentally speaking, they seemed like fairly confused individuals). Not a huge note, but definitely something I was confused by.
Also, I'm curious if this operation was solely against black people or did it expand to other races. I think the black-only argument would make sense if this family (The Armitages?) and their "friends" were a group of white supremacists. However, in the instance against Chris, all these people just seemed to be into a black person for their own personal reasons (the physical physique, sexual fetish, or "black is very in"). Those reasons all sound like these bodysnatchers could easily pick anyone from any race, just as long as it fits their personal interests. So then, why did Rose only seem to date black dudes (plus one black gal) as is made clear when Chris stumbles onto her secret photo stash? If this operation has been going on for a few years now (which is what I'm guessing has happened), during all that time they just abducted black people? Seems like they would want to diversify their host bodies if their business model was to give rich people a second life in the body they've always wanted. (Wasn't that the plot to "Self/less"?)
Wait... I've got another piece of confusion. If these people really wanted this operation to succeed, shouldn't they have been capturing individuals with no chances of people looking for them. Ever. I mean, they do point out Chris has no family. So at least they were attempting to address that he has no real attachment to the outside world. Still, wouldn't it be easier to capture a homeless person or abduct someone overseas? I mean, Rose had to date Chris for four months before he could be convinced to visit her home. Don't mean to nitpick, but I guess I can't help but criticize the business model of a family of body-snatching mad scientists. This shit was born to fail from the get-go!
To the film's benefit, it seems like the brother was also a "recruiter" who likely used force over Rose's seduction. So who knows who he picked up?
Eh, ignore my rants. I'm really just pulling on the very few loose threads in this absolutely enjoyable film.
Been thinking about this movie on and off a lot today - always a sign of a good one - and I share some of your confusion and frustration. Like, the servants make for perfect cover, I guess, so fine - but why was the grandfather doing wind sprints around the yard in the middle of the night? Additionally - what was the TSA guy recording the phone conversation for? That never came into play. Almost feels like they were setting up a sequel - local police arrive on the scene to find a well-to-do white family slaughtered brutally, their house burned down - and Chris and his TSA buddy are prime suspects, what with the phone recording of Rose telling TSA guy that she hasn't seen Chris in a few days, plus hinting at their own romantic potential. Ah? Ah?
DeleteBut the big question I've been turning over in my mind is - yeah, why only black people? Obviously this family isn't white supremacist, or else they wouldn't commit to living their lives as black people. I think the message here, insomuch as there is one, is that overwoke white people can be just as dangerous or more so to black people by meddling in their affairs than the slightly bigoted people who just sort of keep their distance. Like, I really do believe that the dad loved Obama, that the son thinks black men are physically genetically superior, that all the old ladies are fetishizing the idea of dating and marrying strapping young black men. For me it seems not that they're racist, but rather that they're obsessive. Even Stephen Root, when he wants to become Chris, what does he say he wants? "Your eyes." Obviously that's literal, but I think it's also a metaphor for "I want the black experience, I want to see the world through the eyes of a black man." Almost seems like the message or moral here, possibly tongue in cheek, is that if you're a black man in America, the last people you should trust are the eagerly compassionate progressive white ones.