‘Sorry To Bother You’ – The Film and Special Q & A
The Debut Film
Some movies are just so unapologetically themselves, they push the envelope and send shockwaves out about what film can be. I dare to write that Sorry To Bother You is one of those films. It’s being called the best debut film of the year, fresh and original. Already, its grossed over $717,302 in select theaters. Sorry To Bother You, is everything that people are saying and more. It is genius! A thrill ride from beginning to end. You can’t look away, even when you want to.
I saw this unique and zany film from a center-seat in The Dome at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood, CA. It was truly a spectacular night! The Dome was completely filled with people viewing the 8:45 pm showing. Planted in my seat throughout, I stayed until the very end to see a Q & A with the director, Boots Riley, and wonderful actors Lakeith Stanfield, Terry Crews, and ‘white voice’ actor Patton Oswalt.
If you don’t know anything about Sorry To Bother You yet, it is”an absurdist dark comedy with elements of magic realism and science fiction inspired by the world of telemarketing,” as director Boots Riley succinctly put it during the Q & A. I won’t give away any major spoilers of the film, because it is better to go into the theater wondering. But, I can talk about the film’s intent. What I loved about this movie was how it never strayed from its message. It is a social commentary on capitalism and what echoes from such a system. The film covers so much in just 1 hr and 45 mins: greed and the nature of selling-out, art and radicalism to labor exploitation. The film dares to connect so many dots and satirize the inner workings of people behind the curtain of private sector businesses.
Boots Riley on Indies & Oakland
Riley stated that the movie was filmed in “61 locations in 28 days” around Oakland, CA. When asked what made the film so “Oakland,” the director said proudly that it was getting locations for free, the artists that came out to make the film beautiful, and nearly all the residents as extras. In terms of artistic execution, Sorry To Bother You has indie movie vibes with moments of mainstream movie scale, which is mindblowing given the production process of the project. Yet, this was something Riley sought to accomplish and filming in Oakland with its dedicated community made that happen.
When you think of Oakland, you instantly associate raw intensity and deep cultural consciousness with the area and community. Every bit of this exudes in the storyline, the characters, the cinematography, the soundtrack, and much more. As Riley stated, “the more specific you get, the more personal you get, the more universal [a project] is”. I felt this was so true as I saw the film. There are so many tidbits that speak to real experiences and collectiveness. The director himself drew from his experience as a telemarketer to tell this odd gem of a story.
It truly felt like I was viewing spitfire community art with an authentic socio-political message.
The Characters, Lakeith Stanfield on Cassius
It is so great to see the passion that goes into such a project as Sorry To Bother You. The film took seven years to go from script to production and finally to distribution. The passion is palpable through every weird and hilarious moment. What truly makes the movie, and gives it mainstream vibes, is the sheer star power. Nearly all the actors had stellar performances which made the film so rich, relatable, and believable in its surrealism.
In the Q & A, Lakeith spoke about meeting Boots Riley and his first glance at the project. He said, “this strange individual with an afro and muttonchops had some clever ideas, so I was drawn to him naturally, and we began to talk about the story. I read it the first time and was like ‘what the f*ck is this?!’ then I read it again and I realized it was something that I had to be a part of, not only because it would challenge me as an artist, I’ve never seen anything like this”. But, what Lakeith claimed to intrigue him most was the possibility of doing a full frontal nudity scene which was inevitably cut from the final version. Rumbles of laughter could be heard when he harped on the doomed scene initially drawing him to the project.
The amazing story surrounding this scene, as Riley went on to explain, was how important it was going to be for` Lakeith’s character, Cassius. It was going to be his breaking point in the film, yet the director decided in the end that “[Lakeith] has what even a lot of great actors struggle to put forward, which is this feeling of vulnerability in his eyes, where it looks like they are taking things in, amazed, and scared, and innocent. So, I realized we didn’t need that scene anymore”. This is something visible in the movie posters and the trailer, yet, on screen, it’s explored with such a thoughtful performance by Lakeith.
I felt the other leads, Tessa Thompson (Detroit) and Steven Yeun (Squeeze) had such incredible layers in their performances and honestly embodied their characters.
I just loved Thompson’s character. The actress is building up an amazing repertoire of films and playing strong, independent Black female characters. Detriot is so unapologetic, so radical, and so enticing all at once. Whenever she was on screen, I felt like she was some mystical force of raw female energy.
Squeeze was the perfect role for Yeun. If you are familiar with his work on The Walking Dead, then you know Yeun has no problem playing the courageous guy everyone roots for. His character has this trait and more in the film. Yeun plays Squeeze with such galvanizing force and he’s all confidence.
When I left the theater, I couldn’t stop talking about the film. The more I digested what I saw on that huge screen, the more brilliant the film was to me. Yet, I loved overhearing someone with a natural ‘white voice’ say, “I thought it was going to be funny and now I feel really sad.” If you go to see this film and come out feeling rubbed the wrong way due to the style and the absurdity that unfolds, then you’ve missed something. The film isn’t only for laughs. As Terry Crews shared his excitement and what thrilled him being in the debut film, he stated: “this is the film we didn’t know we needed”.
Sorry To Bother You opens to all theaters July 13th. You don’t want to miss it!
At the end of the Q & A, Boots Riley mentioned that they welcome any help in promoting the film. Just don’t spoil the storyline!
Share your reactions and thoughts about the film on social media.
Best,
Kai 😀
