Thursday, August 23, 2018

“SKumm’s Thoughts” - SORRY TO BOTHER YOU


“SKumm’s Thoughts”
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (2018, R, 111 minutes, CINEREACH/ANNAPURNA PICTURES)


There is a whole lot going on in Boots Riley’s directorial debut, so blinking isn’t really an option.

For a man best known for his soundtracks (SUPERBAD, THE LOSERS), he has written a tale that is socially conscious and not-so-subtly surreal.  But his method of storytelling is compelling and works surprisingly well; if you can accept the need for a black man to survive in this dim future via use of his inner white voice, then you can totally buy into the idea of genetic mutation as an acceptable visual diatribe against a broken system.  Did I mention the surreal bit?


SORRY concerns Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield of GET OUT and “Atlanta” fame), a down-on-his-luck deep thinker living in his uncle’s garage.  He has big dreams of making a difference somehow, with no idea of what that difference is.  After landing a telemarketing job, he discovers that by utilizing his “white voice”, he can sell anything to anybody, and soon finds himself in the upper echelon of the company, selling dark wares for an evil corporate giant.  There are many lessons here, some subtle (like the value of friendship, the need to do the right thing) and some that are blatantly important (subterfuge, slavery, the evil trappings of wealth).

Mr. Riley and cast cover a lot of bases here, and the flow of information can be frenetic at times.  From our society’s reliance on social media to the self-subjugation and public humiliations we put ourselves through in order for our voices to be heard, there is much to take away from this film.  Trying to define the genre in which this tale would fall is difficult; like David Cronenberg’s classic VIDEODROME, Mr. Riley tackles enough themes to make categorization nearly impossible.  It is a comedy, it is a drama; it could be classified as “science fiction”, but “horror” fits it at times, too.


None of this makes it a difficult film to watch, however.  The tale has an even flow to it that makes each leap even more acceptable than the last.  Mr. Riley takes you by the hand and leads you gently at first, but that grip becomes firmer, eventually turning into a shove—but you take that shove gladly, almost gratefully.  He is propelling you and your consciousness forward, and you’ll be the better for it in the end.  It will also give you much to think about long after the film has ended.  This is the trademark of a brilliant storyteller—to make you consider what you have witnessed, to make you wonder if, indeed, you yourself could spark change or revolution.  Are those things that society has accepted as the norm really something that we should view as normal?

The cast is remarkable in that no one feels unnecessary.  There are no wasted words or characters here.  Mr. Stanfield captures the insecurities and needs of a struggling young man with an inspired and spirited performance; Armie Hammer is effectively unbiased in his evil as corporate giant Steve Lift; Steven Yeun makes you forget all about his role as “Glenn” on “The Walking Dead”; and Tessa Thompson (CREED) as girlfriend “Detroit” is a voice of reason which holds its own failings and doubts.  She is perhaps one of the more complex roles in the film, and she handles it all brilliantly.


My only complaint is that, as the film progresses from leap to leap, we lose a bit of tonality.  It is those shifts from comedy to drama to sci fi to horror to social dichotomy when we can feel the gears of Mr. Riley’s machine shifting.  While mildly distracting, it isn’t enough to derail the film—but it is enough, again, that you can feel a shift in storytelling.  What once felt smooth becomes jarring by the end.  But this could also be a necessary part of the tale he has written; in order to jog your brain, perhaps you need a slight slap in the head to make you pay better attention.

And pay attention you should; while the film does take place in the not-so-distant future, there is quite the subversive and well-styled tale here, one which begs for more from its viewers.  It also makes you wonder how Mr. Riley could possibly top himself after this.

Grade: A-


-- T.S. Kummelman

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