![]() ![]() ![]() Dealing with the obstacles facing African Americans in a white-dominated corporate milieu, and positing that the experience of workers is determined by both labour conditions and race, the film examines labour relations, wage issues, worker solidarity, unionism, mass media, and the dangers of betraying oneself and choosing corporate advancement over friendships, relationships, and personal integrity. A black comedy/Juvenalian satire/science fiction/horror/magic realist/allegorical character study, it's impossible to classify. Very much in the key of absurdist fiction such as Dino Buzzati's Il deserto dei Tartari (1940) and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (1952), as well as race-conscious satirical cinema such as Putney Swope (1969) and Watermelon Man (1970), the film draws more direct inspiration from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust (c.1806-1831), Repo Man (1984), and the work of Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and, bizarrely, Ken Loach. Sorry to Bother You, the debut feature of writer/director Boots Riley, is all this, and more. A lampooning of Silicon Valley bro culture. An allegory of institutional racism in big business. A deconstruction of corporate greed and the concomitant commercialisation of self-worth necessary to succeed. An ideological evisceration of late capitalism. As Riley puts it, he strives to "break down reality to help us better understand it." Mission accomplished.Ī paean to the proletariat. Even with as jarringly fantastical as it is, in many ways this movie also feels incredibly real. But at some point, one must come down from every trip. Riley introduces so much psychedelic madness that by the end it's nearly impossible to wrap up the story. The film flies along with such easy energy early, then hits turbulence when trying to figure out how to end this thing. Even if you don't want to totally buy in, just hang around to see where this new direction leads. It makes a radical left turn in the third act that will tempt some viewers to jump ship. As union organizer Squeeze (Steve Yuen) explains to Cassius, "if you show people a problem, but they don't know what to do about it, they just learn to get used to it." If you think you have any of this plot figured out, think again. The rational-minded public undoubtedly opposed Lift's plan, but big business carried on. But when the secret leaks to the public, his stock unexpectedly skyrockets, and Lift is declared a pioneering genius. His company, WorryFree (a place where employees feel anything but) hides a dark new idea. After he rises the ranks of the telemarketing world, ascending to the divine status of power caller, he attracts the attention of an eccentric, drug-fueled CEO, Steve Lift (Armie Hammer). When a wise elder advises him to use "white voice" to improve his sales, Cash starts to rake in the green. To collect enough scratch to keep up with his rent and put gas in the rusty bucket he drives, he takes a job as a telemarketer. It comes as no surprise that a man who goes by Boots would opt to give his characters unusual names. Rising star LaKeith Stanfield plays Cassius 'Cash' Green, a deep-thinker who lives in his uncle's garage with his artistic girlfriend named Detroit (the invaluable Tessa Thompson). It tells us exactly how to interpret the bizarre world he has created. Riley's story doesn't shroud itself in murky metaphors. The messages that do resonate should come through clearly. ![]() I take this wonderful creation much more for its entertainment value than anything else. The fearless absurdism will likely distract some viewers from a couple of these messages, but I'm okay with that. It dabbles in commentary on media, society, race and working-class issues-so many poignant messages, some more successfully delivered than others. Sorry to Bother You is a strange, surreal, hilarious satire guided by the intentionally unsteady hand of rapper-activist turned debut director, Boots Riley. ![]()
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