Widows: Not What It Appears

Steve McQueen's Widows was not the low-budget dumb heist movie that I thought it was going to be. From the trailers, I thought I was going to see something along the lines of other 2018 female empowerment flops like Proud Mary or Peppermint.

Widows, however, is an extremely intelligent and purpose-driven movie that weaves multiple plot lines into an intricate cat's cradle that finally comes together at the end.

So what's our plot?

At the beginning of the movie, we're introduced to four men in a getaway van, intercut with shots of them interacting with their wives. Within the first five minutes, all four men are dead after the heist goes sour, and the women are left to fend for themselves.

I'm going to interrupt myself right here. Because at this point, within the first 20 minutes of the movie is where it veers away from the usual. I mean, traditionally, this is where a bad movie would have these women saying "I'm mad my husband's dead and I want revenge" and then a rag-tag group of tough girls comes together and becomes besties out of nowhere and kick a bunch of guys in the balls while saying something clever or something. But that's not what happens here.

"Just to be clear, we're not here to kick guys in the balls."

Surprisingly, it veers off in another direction entirely. We're introduced to two characters, the Manning brothers, one of whom is running for office and the other who is a vicious psychopath ensuring his victory. We're also introduced to a ton of other characters, but the main plot line here is that Veronica (Viola Davis), wife of the head thief (played by Liam Neeson, by the way), owes the Manning brothers the money that was lost in the failed heist. Bringing the other widows together and going off of her late husband's heist plan book, they try to figure out if they can pull off stealing $5 million to settle their debts and live the lives their husbands ruined.

Other plot lines include Manning's political opponent (Colin Farrell) and the idea of political dynasties, Jamette Manning (Daniel Kaluuya) being a psychopath, the lives of all the women, and a couple other things.

Good things: the movie is super interesting in the way it approaches the subject matter. I've had more than one rant about how lazy feminist cinema translates poorly in the theater (I'm looking at you Ghostbusters and Ocean's 8), but this is done with a ton of consideration. It doesn't really state that the women are particularly smart or special--they end up getting shit done because they see no other choice. In going this route, it's really a spectacular example of women's resilience and resourcefulness. Each widow is tasked with doing something that she doesn't know how to do and she figures out a way to get it done. That's cooler than kicking guys in the balls, I'm sorry.

Bad bitches, suuuuuppp

On that note, this movie takes almost no time to talk about any of the thieves besides Liam Neeson, which is interesting. It takes care not to be a revenge film, and in fact none of the widows really seem that wild about their deceased husbands anyway. One gambles away all their money, one hits his wife, one doesn't seem very attentive -- these are not men that our heroines need, and actually the reason all of them get into the heist is so that they can right the wrongs that their dead husbands dumped on them.

The movie's ending was a pleasant surprised too -- and not in the usual "I NEVER SAW THAT COMING" kind of way, but more of a "Ooooooh, that makes sense... Cool!" kind of way.

And now for the critiques: the movie drags a bit before it finds its feet. I've got to say, I found the first half to be a little disorienting. McQueen is an artist and the movie almost reads like a graphic novel in the beginning, full of little vignettes that explain actions and characters by showing pieces of their days. But frankly, for a heist movie (typically built on withholding details), all of these little vignettes can get a bit overwhelming.

Was I supposed to remember that? Is that significant? 

Who's that person? Do we need to know them?? 

Though the pay-off at the end makes everything come together neatly in an intricate braid, getting there definitely takes some patience.

7 outa 10. I love McQueen's cinematography and how he transcends the heist genre to make a female-driven movie that's really interesting. Though it might be a little slow for some, and definitely not the film it appears from its trailer!

12 Years a Slave: Hard to Watch for New Reasons

Imagine the worst thing that has ever happened to you, happening every day for twelve years. Then subtract your house, your clothes, all of your creature comforts, and all of your free will.  This is what 12 Years a Slave is.

Solomon Northup is a musician who lives in Saratoga, NY with his wife and two kids. When his wife and kids go away to cook for a big event for a few weeks, Solomon is approached by two men who convince him to come on tour with their "circus" troupe in Washington DC as a musician, assuring him that he'll be handsomely compensated for his work. But after Solomon eats a meal with them and gets sick (from drugged wine), the next day he wakes up shackled to a wall. Trying to reason with his captors, he tells them he's free and threatens to press charges. But his papers have been stolen and, being in the South, the chances of anyone believing his story are nonexistent. The next twelve years he works as a slave, first on a property with a kind (ish) master, and then next with a raving lunatic. The movie serves as a brutal reminder of the horrors of slavery.

I mean, even when you read the title of this movie, you know it's going to be rough. Personally, I'm very happy I had the foresight to bring tissues this morning. But the subject matter is made infinitely more infuriating when your coming from a somewhat sympathetic view of the main character. I have never been a slave, and (well, who knows with the government the way it is at this point in time) I will never be a slave. However, as someone with a decent social standing and a job that pays the bills, I cannot imagine waking up chained to a wall, sold to another human being, and not being allowed to have an opinion about anything anymore.  This is where 12 Years a Slave really messes you up.

Poor guy probably never trusted anyone ever again

It's absolutely horrifying to think that we live in a country where this used to be commonplace, and the movie is very faithful with it all. On an errand, Solomon veers off the beaten path in a moment of hope that he'll be able to run away, only to be met by a lynch mob that only leaves him alone because they see that he's owned by someone. How. Did. People. Get. So. Awful.

But they delve into this issue too. As one character mentions, white men who own slaves either have to put the moral element somewhere in their mind tucked away and not think about it, or else they have to drive it away with whatever means necessary. Solomon's first master is an example of the former. Master Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a kind man. Solomon is at first candid with him, sharing ideas of how to maximize the transportation of their timber. And he is even admired for being a smart man.

And gets a free violin.

But when a jealous and ignorant assistant to the overseer tries to mess with him, Solomon has no idea how to be passive and then has to move to his next master, Master Crazy (Epps). Epps (played by Michael Fassbender) gives people lashes when they don't pick as much cotton as they did the day before. He wakes up the slaves in the middle of the night and orders them to dance around his living room (on more than one occasion). He appears once or twice without pants on. And his temperament is absolutely poisonous.

Including him almost murdering Solomon at a few different times.

Perhaps the thing that makes this movie so extremely hard to watch is the fact that no one, not even nice people, will help him. Placing his trust in others, Solomon is frequently burned, and in increasingly extreme ways. At times you see that he feels totally helpless, but never is he completely resigned to his fate as a slave. Throughout, he tries to find ways to remind himself of who is truly is underneath the guise of "Platt," his slave name.

Another incredibly well-acted element is the transition that he has to make between being the educated man that he is and saving his own life by feigning ignorance. While in the beginning he uses an elevated vocabulary, by the end of the film you can hear a Southern drawl come to him naturally, and he chooses his words to be careful and simple. Very, very heartbreakingly well-acted by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Well done, sir.

8 outa 10. Cried myself dry.