Post by klep on Jul 16, 2018 9:18:02 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 7/16: Attack the Block
SCIENCE FICTION WEEK!
Science fiction is my favorite genre in part for the way it allows us to ask questions about ourselves and our society in a "safe" context divorced from reality. It's a way to soften the blow - it's easier to grapple with humanity's predilection for tribalism, for example, when the "other" in question is actual aliens instead of certain subsections of humanity. But sometimes science fiction doesn't afford us that distance. Sometimes it uses the fantastical to shove our noses into the tragedies already in our midst.
When Attack the Block starts you wouldn't necessarily think it's a sci-fi film. Sam (Jodie Whitaker) is walking to her home in a council project in London after work on Guy Fawkes day when she is mugged by a gang of youths. But just when things seem like they're about to go from bad to worse, a meteor of some kind strikes a nearby car. Sam flees, and the gang led by Moses (John Boyega) investigates, discovering and killing some strange creature. It's an alien of course, and they take the body back to their tower block Wyndham Tower - the same place Sam calls home.
When the dead alien's compatriots come to find it, Sam and her muggers end up needing to band together for survival. It's a tense partnership for obvious reasons, but eventually Sam's attitude towards them thaws. Sam you see is in public housing because she's fresh out of college and hasn't earned any money yet. But the gang is there because it's where they were born and raised.
Sam, in other words, comes from a place of great privilege. Her first instinct is to call the police, because she sees them as protectors - people she can turn to in crisis. The gang though sees the police as a menace. They've grown up seeing people they knew and respected rousted for nothing - blamed for crimes they didn't commit or picked up for the most minor of offenses.
The gang resolves to protect the block themselves, and Sam is dragged along with them. But as the battle proceeds, Sam comes to respect these kids - and they are just kids - for their bravery, resolve, and comradery. They aren't rejecting her plea to call the cops because they're afraid of being arrested, they don't want to call the cops because they simply don't believe the cops will help. The block is their home, and its up to them to protect it.
And the sad thing is, they're right. When the aliens are defeated and the cops arrive in the wake of the explosion, they aren't interested in what the block's residents or the gang have to say. They come in with full riot gear, demanding with guns pointed that the kids drop to the floor. And as the crowd chants Moses' name, rightly hailing him a hero, the only person the cops seem interested in hearing from.... is Sam.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 7/23: Stories We Tell
IT'S LADIES' WEEK!
SCIENCE FICTION WEEK!
Science fiction is my favorite genre in part for the way it allows us to ask questions about ourselves and our society in a "safe" context divorced from reality. It's a way to soften the blow - it's easier to grapple with humanity's predilection for tribalism, for example, when the "other" in question is actual aliens instead of certain subsections of humanity. But sometimes science fiction doesn't afford us that distance. Sometimes it uses the fantastical to shove our noses into the tragedies already in our midst.
When Attack the Block starts you wouldn't necessarily think it's a sci-fi film. Sam (Jodie Whitaker) is walking to her home in a council project in London after work on Guy Fawkes day when she is mugged by a gang of youths. But just when things seem like they're about to go from bad to worse, a meteor of some kind strikes a nearby car. Sam flees, and the gang led by Moses (John Boyega) investigates, discovering and killing some strange creature. It's an alien of course, and they take the body back to their tower block Wyndham Tower - the same place Sam calls home.
When the dead alien's compatriots come to find it, Sam and her muggers end up needing to band together for survival. It's a tense partnership for obvious reasons, but eventually Sam's attitude towards them thaws. Sam you see is in public housing because she's fresh out of college and hasn't earned any money yet. But the gang is there because it's where they were born and raised.
Sam, in other words, comes from a place of great privilege. Her first instinct is to call the police, because she sees them as protectors - people she can turn to in crisis. The gang though sees the police as a menace. They've grown up seeing people they knew and respected rousted for nothing - blamed for crimes they didn't commit or picked up for the most minor of offenses.
The gang resolves to protect the block themselves, and Sam is dragged along with them. But as the battle proceeds, Sam comes to respect these kids - and they are just kids - for their bravery, resolve, and comradery. They aren't rejecting her plea to call the cops because they're afraid of being arrested, they don't want to call the cops because they simply don't believe the cops will help. The block is their home, and its up to them to protect it.
And the sad thing is, they're right. When the aliens are defeated and the cops arrive in the wake of the explosion, they aren't interested in what the block's residents or the gang have to say. They come in with full riot gear, demanding with guns pointed that the kids drop to the floor. And as the crowd chants Moses' name, rightly hailing him a hero, the only person the cops seem interested in hearing from.... is Sam.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 7/23: Stories We Tell
IT'S LADIES' WEEK!
Next week our Movie of the Week will be Sarah Polley's brilliant documentary Stories We Tell. Blurring the lines of fact and fiction with a mix of footage of the real people and actors recreating home video, Stories We Tell explores the way we build our image of who we are by examining Polley's own family history. Stories We Tell is available for rent on Amazon Video, where it is free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 7/17: Hereditary
The terrifying new horror film from Ari Aster concludes the latest podcast pairing. Join us next Wednesday for a discussion thread! Hereditary may still be in a theater near you.
The terrifying new horror film from Ari Aster concludes the latest podcast pairing. Join us next Wednesday for a discussion thread! Hereditary may still be in a theater near you.