Assassination Nation is an angry film. It’s angry about hypocrisy; it’s angry about trolling; it’s angry about witch hunts; it’s angry about anonymity; it’s angry about Jeff from “Community.” The film is so angry, I couldn’t discern the true target among the thick fog of anger until the final ten minutes.
Obviously set in Salem because the film sees itself as a modern Crucible, Assassination Nation covers the metaphorical trial of four Mean Girls: Lily (Odessa Young), Bex (Hari Nef), Em (Abra), and Sarah (Suki Waterhouse). The girls are almost entirely consumed by immature relationship fodder, but the film is so deliberately stylish, it’s hard to tell exactly. With meandering narrative, intense visuals, and shifting POV, Assassination Nation wanted us to know first and foremost, “I’m a piece of art. Respect my artistic vision!” The film even goes so far as to preface itself with quick-cut preview of its adult elements before it begins. I think this was done to make sure the film had the right audience – y’all aren’t here for the Steinberg bar mitzvah, are ya? That’s next door. Honestly, I think this was indication of a film thinking it’s cleverer than it actually is.
The trouble begins when photos of the Mayor (Cullen Moss) are leaked to the general public. The Mayor is a noted opponent of LGBTQ, yet the pics show him dressed only in women’s under garments. Now, wait a sec; cross-dressing isn’t necessarily LGBTQ. Oh, the pictures also show the company of male escorts? Never mind. Even if it were just the lingerie, I might have to give Assassination Nation a pass anyway for (ironically) having the balls to cast a major transgender role. In the aftermath of the photo release, the Mayor commits a public suicide.
Well, gosh, there’s a powerful statement. If only I knew of what. Who’s the villain here? The internet troll? The citizens screaming for hypocritical blood? The LGBTQ community? Ultra-conservative Christianity? Intolerance? The Mayor himself? Society? Government? All of the above? Some of the above? None of the above? The process gets more complicated when the secrets of the high school principal (Colman Domingo) are exposed. Ah, but there’s a difference; unlike the Mayor, the Principal is a decent man, I must say. That doesn’t stop an unruly mob. Wait until they get a load of the next move, where everybody in Salem has private information leaked and the Mean Girls are held accountable.
The result is a film that both devolves and evolves. There is chaos and a very Purge-like atmosphere of “normal” citizens with masks and weapons and blood, yet there is also a voice, often drowned in violence, that says, “These are the genuine conditions that make The Purge possible – unfocused rage combined with a feeling of intense vulnerability.” We live in a current state of the world where you pretty much have to assume anything you send into cyberspace, regardless of audience, is being collected by a non-intended recipient; whether or not anything comes back to bite you depends on the benevolence of said recipient. People who don’t get that – and I would include every last Trump voter in said group – are going to lash out when they realize the extent to which they have been pawns; will they lash out against the correct target? Well, they sure haven’t so far.
Quickly jumping to the top 50 list of movies with titles that rhyme (somewhere in between Fright Night and Hot to Trot), Assassination Nation has a great deal to say, but lacks the focus to say it properly. Unfortunately, the most pressing feeling for Assassination Nation is of a film that missed the boat … and missed it by several gangplanks. Here is a film that hinges upon two of the most pressing issues in the American public today – the negative power of social media and the subversive horror of “boys will be boys” social allowances – and yet the film doesn’t really resonate on either count (which is a neat trick given that the Brett Kavanaugh hearings are going on exactly as I write this). The prevailing audience mood becomes “I want the girls to live,” but that feeling doesn’t accompany any social message; it’s just about survival. If the producers thought that’s all an audience would take from this picture, I guarantee they would never have made it. Hence, Assassination Nation is both success and failure. I don’t have a strong recommendation for the flick, but I do want to see Sam Levinson give this directing thing another try to see if he can get it right next time.
A collection of hatred compiled
Yields film of politics beguiled
With all the oppression
And stark indiscretion
What I’m getting is “Girls Gone Wild”
Rated R, 110 Minutes
Director: Sam Levinson
Writer: Sam Levinson
Genre: Modern Crucible
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Cybervillains
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Cybervillains
