ASSASSINATION NATION
Going into this film, I almost went in totally free of any
expectations. I had not seen any trailers for the film, nor read any
reviews. The only things that I had seen were a short clip from the
film (which impressed me with the depth of ideas behind the
characters involved) and the poster. I had also seen it referred to
as a mashup between “Mean Girls” and “The Purge”, and it was
this quote that I believe ultimately sold me on the film that it
could be something I may enjoy. So whilst I had no expectations on
whether the film was going to be good or bad, I was expecting a
satire of some form, heading towards black comedy. I was expecting
it to be a little quirky too. However, I was not prepared for what
“Assassination Nation” ended up delivering.
The film is set in modern day Salem, where we follow around Lily and
her three best friends. They are typical high school students;
obsessed with their phones and social media platforms, totally
desensitised in regards to the potential danger and damage that could
be inflicted on them, if any of the photos or meaningless, mean
spirited gossiping ever got out into the rest of the world, outside
of the protection of their bubble of friendship. This is ultimately
what happens when a massive data hack causes half of the town of
Salem to have all of their photos, text messages, social media posts
and the like exposed for all to see. The reaction to the hack is
huge as secrets are revealed, betrayals felt, affairs exposed and the
amount of naked skin on show is unthinkable. The lives of all in
Salem are forever changed. With the town now like a small war zone
of violence and revenge, the public eventually turn on the person who
is believed to have created the hack: Lily. From here, Lily and her
friends must attempt to stay alive from the residents of their town
who, just from a baseless accusation, are intent on killing them or
making them pay.
Wow! Was this film intense! This is the only film that I can think
of this year, where I sat through the majority of it with my mouth
agape. I was so stunned by everything I was seeing. When the film
initially started though, I almost turned it off. We are thrust into
these high school girl's vapid lifestyles full of selfies and social
media posts, and I was hating every second of it. It moved so fast,
and visually the film was at times split into sections representing
instagram posts and the like. It is a very full on opening, and I
just didn't think the film was going to be for me. I cannot stand
social media platforms, and the lengths people go to to get a “like”
on a post, or the importance they put on such a thing. I am so glad
that I stuck with it though because when the initial hacks start, I
understood that this film was definitely for me, and that it was
going to deal with issues of this lifestyle so prevalent today, that
I am very big on myself.
“Assassination Nation” is not a celebration of this lifestyle,
rather is an angry condemnation of it, or at the very least, it is a
morality tale screaming out to be heard. The phrase “screaming
out” is actually very apt in regards to the film because it is
anything but subtle. The filmmakers are using sledge hammer tactics
to bang home their points, which is a technique I normally do not
respond to, but works so well here. I suppose the reason it works as
well as it does for me, is because it is attacking ideals that I
myself are not a fan of. I also understand that because of the way
the story is told, that it is not going to be for everyone, and it
may be the exact reason people end up disliking the film. It is an
angry, bloody, aggressive, and very loud assault on not only the
meaningless social media lifestyle, but also against today's complete
political correctness where everyone has a platform to get upset or
offended about everything.
It is no mistake or coincidence that the film takes place in Salem,
as the filmmakers are alluding to the fact that the “outing” of
so-called depraved or malicious people, is akin to the town's famous
witch hunts from long ago. This is shown perfectly in the scene when
the school principal is hacked and subsequently branded a paedophile
because he has innocent photos of his child taking a bath. The
social media outrage to these photos is quick and vicious, and also
holds no basis in the truth. He has had his “trial by media” and
these “people” have deemed him to be a criminal. All the man has
done is take a photo of his child while having an innocent bath, just
like almost every other parent has every done before him, but this
faceless gang has branded him a pervert for such a deed. What is
interesting is that Lily is one of the only people who stands up for
the principal, but is shouted down by the greater mob, so her voice
is no longer heard. From these early moments, “Assassination
Nation” continues to get darker and darker, not to mention
incredibly bloody, but these are moments I will leave for everyone
else to experience untarnished.
Whilst I was a big fan of what the film was trying to say, I was also
very impressed by it from a cinematic standpoint. It has been
bravely and believably performed by all of the leads, with Australian
Odessa Young standing out as Lily, but I was equally impressed by the
performance from Hari Nef, who plays Bex. She has an emotionally
painful scene towards the end when she is about to be lynched, and is
just outstanding in this moment. Joel McHale also equips himself
very well in a non-comedic role. From a visual standpoint,
“Assassination Nation” has been very stylishly lensed by
cinematographer Marcell Rev, with ample assistance from production
designer Michael Grasley and costume designer Rachel Dainer-Best.
This is an uber stylish film! One amazing scene that I can not fail
to mention is set in a multi-storey building where Lily and her
friends are hiding out. In one, very long shot the camera
continuously circles the building as we watch what the girls are
doing inside the house, as they are totally unaware of the people
outside attempting to get into it. My description of the shot does
not do it any justice because it is an astonishing technical
achievement to pull of such a shot and for it to tell so much of the
story, instead of being just a cool shot.
“Assassination Nation” was easily the biggest surprise for me in
2018. While I struggled with the opening ten minutes of the film, by
the time the end credits starting rolling, I was totally in love with
it, whilst also being shocked and astonished by where it ultimately
goes. Writer/director Sam Levinson (who happens to be the son of
director Barry Levinson) has created an amazing film. It is a film
for its time, angry in its message, and I can see in the future it
having a massive cult following. While I will not guarantee everyone
will like the film, I cannot recommend “Assassination Nation”
enough.
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