Black Film by Hannah

Sorry to Bother You is a fantasy/comedy film directed by Boots Riley that was released January 20, 2018. In an alternate reality of present-day Oakland, Calif., telemarketer Cassius Green finds himself in a macabre universe after he discovers a magical key that leads to material glory. As Green’s career begins to take off, his friends and co-workers organize a protest against corporate oppression. Cassius soon falls under the spell of Steve Lift, a cocaine-snorting CEO who offers him a salary beyond his wildest dreams.

This film is interesting and unpredictable.

The cast led by Lakeith Stanfield is in very good form here. Stanfield plays this character with such ease and makes the character likeable even though his actions suggest the opposite. And his simple and confident performance conveys his believes and his need to be a “Power Caller” no matter what, even if it means leaving your friends hanging in the dark. Tessa Thompson was fine but I had a bit of a problem with the scenes she had especially the one towards the end where she does an art performance of some sort. I didn’t think that scene made much sense, fitting to the overall film. It seemed a bit unnecessary and pretentious (It maybe the intention but I don’t think so).

There were several moments throughout the film that stood out to me.

Firstly, the beginning scene when Green went to the job interview and lied about everything on his resume was hilarious. The boss knew he lied and despite that he still hired him. What made it so funny to me was that people really do that in real life. I know people who “jazz” their past positions at jobs.

Secondly, there was a scene where Green’s co-worker, Langston aka Danny Glover, was teaching him the secret on how to capture people attention when you call them. He said to use your white voice. When Langston demonstrated it, his voice changed drastically. Then Green tried it and his changed drastically too. It was funny to see this conversation because black people really do and talk about this at work.

All in all, some moments in this film were relatable. Then others were fantasized to the extreme. It kind of reminded me of squid games when it came to the hierarchy in the business.