FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully spent 11 seasons trying to figure out if aliens exist and if it's possible to contact them. Jordan Peele, in his new film 'Nope', needed 2 hours and 10 minutes to answer the question of what is hiding in the sky,...
The Haywood family has owned a ranch for several generations, supplying Hollywood with horses for film shoots. But in the age of CGI, such services are becoming less and less in demand. In addition, under unclear circumstances, the head of the family dies, leaving his son OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and daughter Emerald (Keke Palmer) this unprofitable business. And on one not-so-fine day, in a moment of great despair, a strange cloud appears in the sky — either a harbinger of profit or a source of chaos.
After 'Get Out' and 'Us', director Jordan Peele's name became associated with a new wave of intellectual and, most importantly, sharply social horror. But his new film 'Nope' will slightly disappoint fans of traditional horror, because this time he has created a potent mix of genres: horror, western, and sci-fi. Moreover, the emphasis here is still on science fiction, where he managed to recall and successfully reinterpret a favorite theme of American films from the 80s and 90s — all sorts of theories about UFOs and aliens. He also reminds viewers of Spielberg's 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'.
A leisurely pace, stunning atmosphere, well-written characters, an exciting ending - all this is about slow burner films.
Open material
At the same time, Jordan Peele does not forget about the Achilles' heel of American society and his ideological favorite — racial inequality. The story begins with a tale about the first black jockey — an ancestor of the Haywoods, who was captured on film but forgotten in Hollywood. The main character fights for his ranch and simultaneously, as it were, for the rights of all African Americans working in the dream factory. In one scene, you can notice that Kaluuya's character's T-shirt says 'Jordan' — the name of the director, who is one of the few black people in the film business to loudly and openly speak about the racism that still exists in US society.
An equally important leitmotif emphasized in the film is that Hollywood is so corrupt that it is ready to exploit even tragedies for fame. As they say, all means are good for entertainment, and the character played by Steven Yeun experiences the full force of this message. He became popular after the tragic events on the set of one of the projects. And the museum, where objects and props from that day are kept, serves as an eloquent illustration of the ruthlessness of the film industry, which in the film is equally cruel to both people and animals. Hence, the shot with a hand and a paw — an attempt at unity between two injured parties — looks symbolic.
It seems that Peele does nothing but criticize the collective image of Hollywood. But in fact, 'Nope' is also the director's declaration of love for cinema. This feeling is conveyed by the main characters — brother and sister, and the eccentric type played by Brandon Perea. They believe that cinema can change their lives, that the camera can show the truth, including about this mysterious Cloud. Therefore, they are ready to chase the unknown object to get the best shot, thanks to which even Oprah herself will talk about them. And finally, only someone truly in love with cinema can joke about the CW channel. Making 'the impossible possible in cinema,' as one of the characters declares, is apparently also the motto of Jordan Peele himself.
Along with Jordan Peele, the renowned virtuoso cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema ('Interstellar', 'Tenet', 'Dunkirk') worked on the film 'Nope'. Therefore, even if for some reason you don't like the plot and ideas of the film, you will be delighted by the dynamic chases, interesting angles, large-scale shooting, and scenes shot in a documentary format (reminiscent of 'Cloverfield'). As a result, visually the film mimics now horror, now adventure sci-fi.
Why is the film called 'Nope'? Perhaps it is an answer to Hollywood, which for a long time tried to ignore the contribution of people of different races to the industry. Perhaps it is the director's opinion on whether it is worth compromising one's conscience for the sake of spectacle. Perhaps it is a statement for those who believe that horror films cannot be a genre mix and have depth. Or perhaps it is a brief but important piece of advice for those who are used to giving up rather than fighting to the end. Don't settle for less, go all the way to victory, even if a huge cannibalistic Cloud is hanging over you.
Comments
0No comments yet.