While I didn't have time to write up the review until tonight, I watched the movie almost immediately as it came out on Thursday night. I really enjoyed Emergency and found it to be quite an excellent social commentary on police brutality in the United States. The plot centers around three college students of color finding an unconscious girl after a wild night of partying, and having to decide how to help her, fearing that they will blamed if they call the police. Apparently, this film was originally just a short at Sundance, but it was later developed into a film after it won the festival at 2018.
At first, I will admit the film made me a little uncomfortable. One of the first parts of the film being a white professor saying the 'n' word aloud with it projected behind her in huge letters was definitely a shocking way to open the film, but an attention-getting one. Immediately, it educates the viewer about how much power words can hold, and the historical trauma it brings up for people of color when white people use the word. One of the things I most loved about this film is that it didn't just blatantly say "don't be a racist"; it made you think and question through the discomfort it brought you. Writing that makes you question beyond what is explicitly said is one of my favorite types of writing, because it often makes you walk away with a more powerful message than directly saying it ever could.
I loved how well-developed each of the characters' personalities were. Sean was probably my least favorite of the bunch, just because I identified the least with him. While he was sort of the goof-around, edgy type, I liked how we got to see the more vulnerable side of him towards the end of the film. This was another instance where a part of the film wasn't explicitly stated; it's never really said that he's scared when he deserts the rest of his friends,
but it can be inferred. I really liked Carlos as a character; he was just so sweet and kind! <3 Kunle's trustworthiness and dedication to doing the right thing made me really identify with his character as well. This might be a surprising comment to have on a blog dedicated to Sabrina, but she was kind of a bitch in this film, tbh. She was really overly angry, cagey, and clearly racist. This is the first film she's been in other than The Hate U Give that I can say this, but I hated her character in this. At least she cries after she realizes what she's done in The Hate U Give, but here she just has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. It actually made me happy when Kunle slammed the door in her face after her stupid insincere apology. Tbh, for some reason, I thought Sabrina was the one playing the unconscious girl, so it was a surprise to me to see that wasn't the case. I thought Maddie Nichols did a good job playing Emma, although I will say for personal reasons, seeing somebody drunk to the point of being unable to control themselves (or in Emma's case, nearly killing herself) makes me super uncomfortable. I know plenty of people will disagree, retorting "being drunk is fun!" However, I have had a friend who had problems with drinking, and my personal comfort level stops at normal drunk. I just don't understand people's belief that "having fun" means intoxicating yourself to the point of losing your memory or no longer being in control of wh
at you're saying/doing.
I wasn't really sure about some of the comments at the beginning as they seemed a bit aggressively sexual, "she wants your dick, bro" particularly standing out. However, I was happy that Carlos called Sean out for it later in the film, after Sean calls Kunle a "pussy." Him pointing out how that term is both demeaning to women is such an important point. I would also argue it's a way to police men on their masculinity, demeaning femininity by creating a dichotomy where a man is either feminine or a "pussy" in the process.
This movie really made you feel all the emotions anywhere in between anxious, upset and contemplative. I was particularly angry when the white cop told Kunle "you should have just called the cops to begin with," despite that the cop went straight to tackle Kunle for no reason, especially as opposed to the other white people in the car.
From the Karen calling the police believing the three men were "drug dealers" to Emma's violent outburst in the car, this movie definitely leaves your heart-pounding wondering what's going to happen next. There is absolutely no filler in this movie. The ending with Kunle staring anxiously at the camera really makes you think. I'll admit I didn't get what that meant at first, but after thinking about it for a little while, I believe it means that he is already feeling post-traumatic stress disorder from his traumatic experience.
Although this movie is definitely stressful, highly dramatic, and will probably make you a bit uncomfortable, I really think this is worth a watch. It brings up so many important issues of police brutality that people of color have to face on a daily basis. Most importantly, it doesn't just give you the message; it makes you think deeper about it after the film's 105 minutes conclude.
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