Sorry to Bother You (2018)- BFI London Film Festival 2018

Review

111min

Genre:     Comedy, Sci-fi

Director:  Boots Riley

Cast:       Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer…and more

Writer:    Boots Riley

-Synopsis-

A young black Californian telemarketer figures out the key to success, perfecting his ‘white voice’, raising his station in life but uncovering a sinister corporate conspiracy and presenting him with new existential problems which challenge his sense of self—in this distinctly quirky and subversive social satire, greed parable and feature debut from the imagination of writer/director Boots Riley.

If you like your contemporary indie urban comedies social realist yet simultaneously off-the-wall, quirky, colourful and unlike anything out there, then you’ve come to the right place. It seems perfectly fitting that your master of ceremonies should be a self-styled social activist, and an underground political hip-hop performer and producer, as Riley brings decades of experiences—plus his unique perspective on his community and its place in modern America—to a feature film debut you won’t soon forget.

Not only is ‘Sorry to Bother You’ very specific, near impossible to pigeonhole, and comes at us from leftfield, but it’s one of those film’s that’s hard to talk about in vague terms without giving away some of the plot which makes it so out there, but we’ll do our best.

Lakeith Stanfield stars as Oakland native ‘Cassius Green’, an aimless young man with few prospects, living with his loyal and fierce activist girlfriend ‘Detroit’ (Tessa Thompson), who finally gets a taste of success as a telemarketer when his telephone ‘white persona’ makes him a star salesman. But when the chance to become a ‘power caller’ and climb the corporate ladder at a soulless conglomerate presents itself, Cassius will have to choose between standing with co-workers ‘Squeeze’ (Steven Yeun) and ‘Salvador’ (Jermaine Fowler) in the struggle for workers’ rights, or get in bed with the maniacal big boss ‘Steve Lift’ (Armie Hammer)—as a bizarre, game-changing conspiracy of corporate exploitation is unravelled.

If the film’s very premise doesn’t give away how quirky Boots Riley’s debut truly is, you’ll be in no doubt by the end of the very first scene, as things get progressively weirder and more socially conscious from there, without ever losing its idiosyncratic charm and aptly reflecting the personality of the filmmaker who conjured it up.

‘Sorry to Bother You’ does to some extent play like a wacky urban comedy, occasionally feeling like a version of ‘The Secret of My Success’ but directed by Michel Gondry, yet it’s not exactly a riotous laugh-fest and it may not satisfy your traditional comedic needs. Where it truly excels is in its inherent weirdness, and its way of addressing contemporary and thorny social issues that are difficult to confront—ultimately coming off like colourful and dreamlike social-realist fairy tale . . . and a call a for revolution.

Riley  uses modern phenomena like social media and viral celebrity culture to weave a tapestry of social injustice which echoes through the decades, highlighting the issues of racism, slave labour and worker’s rights, somehow keeping the tone light but the subject matter grim. The plot then takes a turn into the bizarre with a slightly macabre yet comical conspiracy of corporate exploitation of equine proportions—serving as a not-so-subtle allegory for the plight of slaves in America and the African-Americans on whose backs the country was built . . . and of course its dark and lasting legacy.

This unique cinematic concoction is made complete by its singular style, applying a colourful 60’s surrealist look which gives the film a dreamlike (or nightmarish) quality, blended with plenty of funky fashions, most prominently displayed by Tessa Thompson’s character—all of which combines well with a soundtrack of hip-hop, funk and more abstract even whimsical music, which somehow perfectly fits the (kooky) bill.

Yet ‘Sorry to Bother You’ is not without its limitations, at times proving too unconventional for its own good and featuring a narrative flow that prevents the film from being completely captivating, building slowly to a revolution that then comes on too abruptly and ends too suddenly, leaving the audience with a slightly anti-climatic feelgood conclusion.

But any and all of the film’s limitations are overpowered by its many quirks and its sheer character, making for an entertaining and highly original piece of social commentary and satire, and an impressive flimmaking debut which adds yet another string to Riley’s social activist artist bow.

The Bottom Line…

Part social commentary, part quirky character comedy but all wonderfully bizarre and unexpected, Boots Riley’s feature debut overcomes its limitations to prove a perfect reflection of his unique character, and a wholly unique modern parable—a wacky and stylish call to arms for social revolution which takes deep-seated social issues and injects them into your heart with zany humour . . . rather than bashing you over the head.

‘Sorry to Bother You’ is out on the 7th of December in UK cinemas, and out now in the US.

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