Fantastic film. This movie was layers on top of layers. I was blown away.
Someone earlier said Jeremy was just a henchman, nothing more to think about. That's wrong. Jeremy represents the classic out-in-the-open racist. His helmet is like a stand-in for the Klan hood that allows his to conceal his identity and instill fear like when Klansmen raided and terrorized black neighborhoods. He's out in his white car (horse stand-in) assaulting and kidnapping black people like racists literally did in the past.
Opposite her racist conservative brother, Rose's entire agenda is being the fake ally, using black people to further her own selfish goals. She represents the coddling liberal who sympathizes with minority issues until it stops being convenient. As the movie progresses you can see her becoming less and less agreeable with Chris, being dismissive and whitesplaining his concerns. She finally "caved" in and started completely believing him, very conveniently but with a strong hint she was being disingenuous and only saying what he wanted to hear in order to shut him up. The next scene her full betrayal comes out and I wasn't even surprised. Out of everyone in the film, she's the most dangerous person.
Rose's web search for "top NCAA prospects" reminds me of white female celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift dealing with the career crisis of being labeled manufactured frauds... by pandering to black culture and hanging out with black rappers and athletes.
Before the brain transplant reveal, the seemingly brainwashed black suburbians are representative of how blacks and other minorities are forced to confirm to white cultural norms, language, etc. Their interests, the way they talk, all of that. Every POC knows what this is like if they work in a white-collar professional environment for example.
The scene at the police station is a firm reminder that minorities often don't come to the aid of each other, as a community, as a network of professionals, extending opportunities and trusting each other, etc. At the end with the police car, I thought initially: the racist cop from the beginning? No, it's the detectives and his friend, all four coming together like the cavalry! Nope, just his lone goofy friend putting himself in certain danger. I wasn't as thrilled as other people in the audience as I think the rescue party turnout was pretty fucked up. It's in contrast to some Lovecraft stories where a team of scientists or an entire police force confronts and overcomes some fucked up otherworldly shit. This was just "white people are kidnapping black people in a remote suburb" and no one could be bothered to believe it or follow up.
That leads into the next fucked up part. Besides the cultural appropriation angle and the fit black body fetishism, it's telling that the cult only targets black people... because it's far less likely anyone will be concerned and start a full-blown search than when it's a white person who goes missing. They counted on getting away with this for that reason, and did so for seemingly decades. What left me disturbed is... where are all the other missing people? There are other little suburban towns where this is condoned, because like in the Twilight Zone classic "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," this horror can happen in Anytown, USA.
Someone earlier said Jeremy was just a henchman, nothing more to think about. That's wrong. Jeremy represents the classic out-in-the-open racist. His helmet is like a stand-in for the Klan hood that allows his to conceal his identity and instill fear like when Klansmen raided and terrorized black neighborhoods. He's out in his white car (horse stand-in) assaulting and kidnapping black people like racists literally did in the past.
Opposite her racist conservative brother, Rose's entire agenda is being the fake ally, using black people to further her own selfish goals. She represents the coddling liberal who sympathizes with minority issues until it stops being convenient. As the movie progresses you can see her becoming less and less agreeable with Chris, being dismissive and whitesplaining his concerns. She finally "caved" in and started completely believing him, very conveniently but with a strong hint she was being disingenuous and only saying what he wanted to hear in order to shut him up. The next scene her full betrayal comes out and I wasn't even surprised. Out of everyone in the film, she's the most dangerous person.
Rose's web search for "top NCAA prospects" reminds me of white female celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift dealing with the career crisis of being labeled manufactured frauds... by pandering to black culture and hanging out with black rappers and athletes.
Before the brain transplant reveal, the seemingly brainwashed black suburbians are representative of how blacks and other minorities are forced to confirm to white cultural norms, language, etc. Their interests, the way they talk, all of that. Every POC knows what this is like if they work in a white-collar professional environment for example.
The scene at the police station is a firm reminder that minorities often don't come to the aid of each other, as a community, as a network of professionals, extending opportunities and trusting each other, etc. At the end with the police car, I thought initially: the racist cop from the beginning? No, it's the detectives and his friend, all four coming together like the cavalry! Nope, just his lone goofy friend putting himself in certain danger. I wasn't as thrilled as other people in the audience as I think the rescue party turnout was pretty fucked up. It's in contrast to some Lovecraft stories where a team of scientists or an entire police force confronts and overcomes some fucked up otherworldly shit. This was just "white people are kidnapping black people in a remote suburb" and no one could be bothered to believe it or follow up.
That leads into the next fucked up part. Besides the cultural appropriation angle and the fit black body fetishism, it's telling that the cult only targets black people... because it's far less likely anyone will be concerned and start a full-blown search than when it's a white person who goes missing. They counted on getting away with this for that reason, and did so for seemingly decades. What left me disturbed is... where are all the other missing people? There are other little suburban towns where this is condoned, because like in the Twilight Zone classic "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," this horror can happen in Anytown, USA.
