Captive State, starring Ashton Sanders and John Goodman.
Summary
Aliens invaded and humans help them mine resources and quell resisters.
Who should watch
- You like good writing and acting
- You appreciate history
- Age 16 and up
The main character and the leader of the Resistance are black. Regular people without super powers or regenerative abilities risk torture and death fighting back. Although not an all-black cast, this is the black protagonist movie that should have won acclaim and awards, not Black Panther.
The characters were relatable and realistic, with unclear choices. Classic themes—man against enemy and man against himself—frame the story.
The message is an important reminder in dark times: Hope exists as long as we keep fighting.
Timely
Viewed in 2020, the film is a sci-fi reflection of us now: a world that traded its soul to survive an invasion. Our invisible invaders are biological and ideological.
The CCP Coronavirus hides among us, causing us to avoid, fear, and suspect each other.
Chinese Communist Party control and ideology infiltrates pharmaceuticals, education, technology, media, and business.
China, source of the CCP Virus and other coronavirus outbreaks, runs the World Health Organization. China, forced organ harvester, minority persecutor, and modern-day concentration camp filler, influences the United Nations Human Rights Committee as a member. It’s a bad B-movie come to life.
Power-hungry governors punish Americans trying to get their lives back:
- Encourage reporting of people who gather
- Chase people out of parks and beaches
- Arrest parents playing ball with their kids
- Disrupt people trying to worship together
I wish the movie didn’t creep me out with its lifelike desperation.
Well-written and acted, Captive State would be effective without any special effects, Alfred Hitchcock and M. Night Shyamalan style.
If you watch, it will cling to you for days.
References
Cook, Jeffrey. C. Sandell, and J. Leong. “Former police officer arrested in park for throwing ball with daughter due to coronavirus social distancing rules.” ABC News, 8 April 2020, https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-officer-arrested-park-throwing-ball-daughter-due/story?id=70032966.
Indie Film Hustle, “6 Filmmaking Techniques Alfred Hitchcock Used to Create Suspense.” Indie Film Hustle, 14 July 2017, https://indiefilmhustle.com/hitchcock-create-suspense/.
Parke, Caleb. “Police show up at Louisiana church that was defying coronavirus state order.” Fox News, 19 March 2020, https://www.foxnews.com/us/coronavirus-police-church-defy-state-order.
“‘Snitches Get Rewards’: Garcetti Issues New Rules For Construction Sites, Encourages Community To Report Safer At Home Violators.” CBS Los Angeles, 31 March 2020, https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/03/31/coronavirus-los-angeles-eric-garcetti-snitches-get-rewards/.
Thought Ripples by Wendi 