Widows is the heist film you never realized you needed. Director Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave) and writer Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects) team up to create a thrilling and provocative film stacked with powerhouse characters. The film touches on the dichotomy of power structures in both society and male-female relationships. Widows balances telling a story about personal loss, redemption as well as corruption on a societal and personal level. You’ll have to sit with the film and digest it after viewing and having done so myself, I’ll clue you in on some of the pivotal moments in the film. 

Widows follow Veronica Rawlings (Viola Davis) as she mourns her husband, Harry Rawlings, and forms her own crew to pull off a robbery meant for men. Davis brings so much raw conviction to this role, playing the collected Veronica to the ‘T’. Her character corrals mother of two Linda Perelli (Michelle Rodriguez), objectified and fed-up Alice Gunner (Elizabeth Debicki), and getaway driver/single-mom badass Belle (Cynthia Erivo) into her crew. As the film shows the women preparing, we see each character unfold and resist societal expectations.

[Spoilers ahead]

Importance of The Opening Scene

As soon as the silver screen lights up, the audience is taken into Veronica and Harry Rawlings’ loving embrace. Seeing the couple kiss with tongue and all feels like a bold move that’s never been done before. Yes, we’ve seen couples kiss on screen but not quite like this. McQueen shoots the scene from such a direct angle, showing both characters side by side, that it challenges viewers to look and accept what they see. The moment says everything: this couple is interracial and functions as married couples do. It also sets the tone, expressing deep love and adoration between the two.

Since it is the first scene, this moment sticks in our minds throughout the film. What I love about Widows is that their relationship isn’t necessarily glorified, but rather normalized. It’s normal to see this strong dark-skinned Black woman loved by her husband, whoever the person may be. Veronica is graceful and stands in her own shoes, making her beautiful and fierce even in her pain. As we continue watching, this moment also serves as a point of tension for the viewer. McQueen sets up their relationship in one way in our minds and ultimately shifts it toward the end of the movie.

The Power of Setting

To set the story in Chicago is a key factor in the film. It’s also the hotbed of all the tension in the story. Chicago plays the role of a microcosm showcasing the harrowing issues in our society at large: a corrupt system making it nearly impossible to divide criminals and politicians, the absolute exploitation of the poor and people of color, racial tension and so much more. The intentional cinematography also helps tells this story without words. One shot, in particular, so stunningly shows the discrepancy of power. Colin Ferrel’s character, Jack Mulligan, is complaining in this car while the camera solely shows the outside of the car. Moving from one neighborhood to the next, we see that the poor and disenfranchised don’t live very far from the rich and entitled, yet their worlds couldn’t be more separate.

Additionally, the setting begs the question that maybe if Veronica and her husband lived in another place, their lives would be different. Maybe their marriage would’ve had a better ending. Yet at the same time, the setting brings out different aspects of each character, revealing their true selves. Essentially, the women are fierce, strong and pushed to be independent, whereas the men are shown to be power hungry and ultimately selfish and uncaring for those around them. Watch the film and you’ll see this is true.

Marriage & Backstories

I’m going to rip the band-aid off here and clue you into a pivotal moment of the film if you were left scratching your head after you’ve left the theater. If you wonder why Liam Neeson’s character chooses to abandon his wife– especially after the striking and sensual opening scene–  it’s because he’s blamed her for the death of their son. He’s hoping to completely cleanse himself of the trauma they experienced, by whatever means necessary. The evidence is in the way he intentionally cuts ties with his crew. His character is truly attempting to remove all that represented his old life: Chicago, his wife, and all the reminders of his beloved son. Yet, Veronica could never have that luxury.

It’s significant to consider that Harry’s character is the epitome of the White male. As a White male and professional criminal, he was used to winning and having everything he could possibly want. We see this through his meticulous planning of heists in the journal he leaves behind. Yet, at the moment when it mattered most, he had no inkling of control. McQueen and Flynn couldn’t have crafted the scene better with Harry being on the other end of a phone while the tragic moment happened. This scene says so much about the powerlessness Black families feel when their children are brutally taken from them. Simultaneously, it highlights the issues of racial profiling. Therefore, when Harry is unable to protect his son it inevitably distorts Veronica and Harry’s marriage on an extreme level. To the point where he no longer even wants to be associated with Veronica because on a subconscious level he knows that his son would be alive if he wasn’t a “Black boy” living in Chicago.

Yet, I love how the film gives Veronica the final say. Throughout, she is determined to protect herself and ensure her future as well. She seamlessly takes the lead and stays strong, vulnerable, complex, and intelligent. Most importantly, toward the end of the film, Veronica’s character embodies an understanding that it wasn’t ‘Blackness’ that got her son killed but rather the corruption in their city and the total lack of humanity in those who took her son’s life.

Ultimately, Widows is thrilling, thought-provoking and everything you need to see in a heist film. Go out, buy your ticket and get ready to discuss what you just saw.

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Best,

Kai 😀