This review has been a long time coming.
In Assassination Nation, Lilly (Odessa Young) and her BFFs Bex (Hari Nef), Sarah (Suki Waterhouse), and Em (Abra) are traversing the ups and downs of high school and social media. When their small town of Salem (clearly named as a reference to the Salem Witch Trials. Appropriate considering what goes down at the end of this film.) falls victim to a vicious hacker who hacks half the citizens of the town and publicly releases all of their data, it isn't long before the whole town is in a complete state of hysteria, and a violent mob forms. They target Lilly, viewing her as a "whore" (due to her sexual escapades) and blame her for the hack. Her friends are targeted as well, due to their friendship with her. It's up to the four-some to band together and do what it takes to survive.
Assassination Nation plays like The Purge meets Spring Breakers. The cinematography (by Marcell Rev) is gorgeous and flashy, the script by Sam Levinson (who also directs) is strong and humorous, and the editing by Ron Patane is great. The film opens with a humorous but serious trigger warning. Assassination Nation deals with themes of homophobia, privacy (or the lack thereof) in today's age, hypocrisy, and toxic masculinity among other things. It's ultimately a social commentary that feels very real and very current.
Out of our leads, the standouts are Odessa Young as Lilly and Hari Nef as Bex. Lilly is definitely not without her flaws (she is indeed quite sexual and promiscuous, which winds up bringing her a lot of pain throughout the film), but she is also incredibly smart and aware of the age/times she is living in. Odessa Young plays her with confidence and vulnerability, allowing the shy, awkward, nervous 18 year old to shine through. Her monologues throughout the film are strong and gripping (especially the last one). Hari Nef is fantastic as her sympathetic and cool transgender BF Bex, who is going through some stuff as well. Bex is pining over one of the football studs who has a clear interest in her, but is not comfortable with his own sexuality. Hari Nef manages to put on a strong, naturalistic performance and is quite likable in the role. Bill Skarsgard has a small supporting role as Lilly's nasty boyfriend (He is pretty scary), and Joel McHale puts on maybe his best performance yet as Lilly's next door neighbor-turned-psycho that Lilly has been crushing on.
Assassination Nation is a film that many may find hard to watch. It's incredibly dark and graphic. When the Purge-esque portion comes into play near the end (which commences with a scene of home-made waterboarding, immediately followed by the best sequence in a film in 2018: The break-in and attack on Abra's house) we aren't encouraged to revel in the anarchy. Instead it's all very disturbing and frightening. It's a relief when the film ends with an enthusiastic marching band marching through the destroyed streets of Salem, set to the tune of Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop' (It's sure to send you out smiling and dancing). Despite all the anarchy, chaos and depravity to be sampled in Assassination Nation, the film itself is still very entertaining and darkly humorous, and has some strong messages that are worth hearing (It even advocates for tearing the whole system down and starting over again, a scary but liberating idea). Assassination Nation is a film that acts as a mirror, reflecting the darkest parts of our society and ourselves. Some parts do come across as a bit exaggerated, but that can be expected in social satires and commentaries. The film will undoubtedly challenge you and disturb you, but is still an absolute must-see.
5 STARS
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