Film of the Year #8 - Sorry to Bother You

Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley, 2018)

This is the most original film I saw all year. It's a wild ride, and one that is best experienced knowing as little about it as possible. Lakeith Stanfield stars as Cassius Green, who is broke and desperate and willing to take any job that comes his way. When he starts working as a telemarketer for RegalView, he struggles with the job at first, until he taps into the power of his overconfident "White Voice" and starts winning over customers left and right. He rises through the ranks to become a Power Caller, and doors open to all kinds of unimaginable places. His success puts him in direct opposition to his activist girlfriend Detroit, who is organizing protests against the very company Cassius is ascending through. That's really all you should know about it. It's daring and refreshing, completely unafraid to go to dark and uncomfortable places, but also hilarious, with bursts of shocking, startling humor at every turn.

For as bright and irreverent as this film is, it's also one boiling over with anger at the establishment. It's set in an alternative version of Oakland, CA that's one slightly cartoonish jump away from our current trajectory. Tensions are higher as capitalism reins with an even more powerful fist. First time director Boots Riley isn't afraid to look you straight in the face and ask: "What would YOU do when your options run out? Are we responsible for the devil's bargains we make when the chips are down?" This film is an incisive look at the intersection of race and capitalism, presented with a zany sci-fi dystopian twist that sneaks up on you - it's so entertaining in the moment, that it will take you awhile to grapple with the rage bubbling beneath the surface. This is a fresh new filmmaker with so much to say, and ample style to say it with.