Red Pill

Tonya Pinkins' film RED PILL is an artistic and, at times, even poetic yet muscular story that we all just went through. It is the nightmare we still can't wake up from. A collection of relatively ordinary people who want to improve their world drive into the rural South to Get Out the Vote before the 2020 election, and they walk right into a horror movie.

Folks, we have just been through this. Maybe this can help us wake up from the nightmare, or maybe not -- maybe it will just help us describe the nightmare more effectively. We laugh, we cry, if we survive it the credits roll. Using expert story-telling and ferocious images, Pinkins has made our nightmare materialize on the screen in red-hot terror, no let-up. The cast displays an energy that drags the viewer through some periods of jaw clenching that actually tired me out but thinking back on the last few years, I came to think of this as a catharsis. Two thumbs up and trembling.

...and that was just tonight's news!

Merging truth with fiction in art is a talent. In the case of Tonya Pinkins' Red Pill she is borderline seer.

Red Pill pulls no punches coaxing iconic imagery we see on a daily basis, and magnifying the true horrors behind the history.

Riveting. Cutting-edge. Must see over and over and over like the the endless realities of hate playing before us in our history books.

After seeing all the ten star reviews, I felt obligated to leave an unbiased one. There is no way the high reviews are from anyone but those associated with the movie or the actors in it.

Ok, so I just deleted everything else I wrote. I felt horrible being so honest. I know people work hard and it pains me to critique harshly. I'll say this, it is not a well made movie in any category, from editing to dialogue. You might find entertainment in the good bad movie aspect but I did not. The premise intrigued me and it could have been so much better. Watch Get Out instead if you want social commentary horror.

One positive thing I will write...I read that Ms Perkins is a celebrated stage actress. If this one of her early film directing and acting projects, then she has much room to improve and I wish her well.

An allegory sprung from contemporary culture and politics n the U. S. Poor acting, poor plot development, plot holes galore. To rate this a 10 is to do a disservice to filmmakers everywhere. Yes, it's interesting. But I am betting the majority of viewers will have forgotten this film in a day or two after having watched it. Nothing stands out and there is plenty that doesn't make sense. I'm sure the budget for this film was on the very low end and it shows from the beginning to end. The premise is terrific but it could have been developed into something much more cohesive and satisfying. I have to wonder how many of the ten star reviews are coming from the film makers and their friends, as well as employees.

I found this work to be an astute and entertaining comment on this moment -- both in terms of film and the nation state Clocking under two hours, it manages to tell a number of stories at a brisk pace.

While the horror genre lends itself to one anticipating outcomes, I was still surprised by the film's ending, as well as the endings of the characters -- many of whom I had grown to care for.

Admittedly, some images and circumstances echo other films in the genre, but Pinkin's story is puts those images and circumstance in service of greater questions about nation, race, and belonging. By the final, terrifying montage, I found myself reflecting on all that I had just seen.