4 Movies That Are a Lot Deeper Than You Might Think
Some movies have deeper plots and hidden messages that end up going unnoticed by the general audience. Here is a shortlist that will blow your mind.
I consider myself to be an amateur cinephile. I know this may sound a little bit cocky, but that’s not the case — pinky promise. I’m the kind of person that likes watching movies trying to guess the premises and — if it’s a thriller — who the killer is. Moreover, I seem to always have a preference for movies that are harder to guess and that, in some ways, are more complex than most blockbusters.
Most of the times, lighter movies tend to be easier to get. They are there to make you laugh and, in some cases, give you questionable love lessons at the end — most of them don’t really work. Believe me… I have tried a few. However, deeper movies that don’t hand you every single thing explained are the type of entertainment that makes us think, research, rethink and then think again.
Based on that, I have picked four movies that made me feel so curious I couldn’t sleep. All these cinematographic works offer different perceptions, depending on who is watching and how many times the person has seen them. In other words, they are movies that carry different and hidden meanings.
Are you ready to have your mind blown?
SPOILER ALERT: This article may contain light and heavy spoilers. Be advised.
1. GET OUT
In Get Out, the protagonist, called Chris Washington, is a young and black American that starts dating a white woman called Rose. One day they decide is time to have Chris introduced to his in-laws. However, besides the expected nervousness of the situation, he also feels uncomfortable knowing he is her first black boyfriend. At first, her parents seem nice and gentle. But, as the weekend progresses, he starts to uncover frightening secrets.
WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
It is pretty clear that the movie’s core theme is racism. However, the way Peele works makes it less obvious, right? Here, we are not talking about explicit acts of hate but more about the “culture” of racism. This is something easy to notice, especially in Rose’s family. They are constantly affirming how they don’t see colours, and how they could never be racists because they have black friends, etc.
The way Peele conducts the scenes, it’s almost like he wants people to feel — even knowing it’s impossible — how black people feel in situations that would be considered as “normal” by white people. He does it in a way that, if the protagonist were white, we probably wouldn’t be so anxious about it.
2. MOTHER!
Mother! tells a story about a couple — both unnamed — that live in a big house, far from civilization. The woman spends her days renovating their house, while the man — a renowned poet stuck with a writer’s block — keeps working on his new great work. Until one day, their peace is disturbed by the arrival of a mysterious couple looking for a place to stay.
WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
Mother! carries a lot of easter eggs and symbolism. The plot is an allegory to the bible and the origin of the world. The house is the planet earth, the guy is god and the woman — mother — is mother earth. When we think about that, it gets easier to understand everything. Mother earth keeps taking care of the planet, coexisting solely with god, away from everyone else. Until the day god welcomes two new visitors into the world — Adam and Eve. From this point forward, everything gets out of control, and earth gets destroyed by humans until god restarts the whole process from scratch.
3. US
Another great movie directed by Jordan Peele, Us talks about a family that goes on vacation to an old family beach house, bringing up some old and scary memories to the mother of the family. One night, the family gets attacked by a group of trespassers, that look exactly the same as the protagonist’s family, with just some small — yet creepy — discrepancies.
WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
Us is a big social metaphor that talks about America’s fear of outsiders and immigrants. Peele said that “we’re in a time where we fear the other. whether it’s the mysterious invader that we think is going to come and kill us and take our jobs, or the faction we don’t live near, who voted a different way than us. We’re all about pointing the finger. And I wanted to suggest that maybe the monster we really need to look at has our face. Maybe the evil, it’s us.”.
4. BACURAU
Bacurau is a Brazilian movie that got famous around the globe, winning awards — like Cannes — and being recommended by famous people, like Obama. The movie can be considered a western, sci-fi, thriller and action movie, and talks about this small village called Bacuraru — or Nighthawk, in English — and its habitants, that seem to live isolated from the rest of the society. The world went mad with violence and crime, but they live a simple and easy life in the countryside. Until one day, a group of American citizens arrive at Bacurau and start hunting down its citizens for sport.
WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
Bacurau has a deeper plot that focuses on political criticism. As mentioned before, the small village struggles to survive, while shady politicians and outsiders threaten their peace. The movie gives subtle tips that, in the dystopic reality in which Bacurau exists, the culture of violence exploited by the media and the easy access to guns, made society normalize violence and death. With tons of references — even referencing Asterix and Obelix — the movie is open to multiple interpretations.
