Forcefury

Truly a force that might make you furious (with laughter).

Hey, coulda been worse.

For a first-feature with no real budget, I think it turned out pretty well.

This is horrible. I only got a single laugh, and don't think it was meant to be.

Green alien make up the girl's face, but not the arms or feet.

This movie is well-scripted and displays how much fun the entire crew really had. There's a good balance between verbal and physical comedy, and the no-budget costumes, set and props are consistently hilarious.

And it is, technically a movie.

The conflict of Forcefury is both that of the individual (man vs self) and that of the integration (man vs society). Perhaps the greatest (or most conspicuous) conflict in our time can be found in the "United" States of America.

Division that has existed for years within the United States has become increasingly obvious since the election of failed businessman turned reality television star turned politician Donald Trump.

In Forcefury, Donald Trump is represented by President Joe. Unlike Trump, President Joe has realized his xenophobic dream of erecting a wall... on the border? The location is irrelevant because the wall has been erected as an ineffectual means to prevent the immigration of illegal aliens (from outer space).

Within the fictitious United States of Forcefury, the wall exists as a symbolic "middle finger" from the Republicans to the Liberal Democrats. Within the context of the film, the wall is an obvious symbol for division, a division best characterized by Brick Forcefury when he disparages the desert from which the alien came (juxtaposing it with the "American oasis" to which they come).

This "othering" attitude, applied to the alien outsider, may also be applied to Forcefury's political adversary (frequently disparaged as the "Liberal Agenda"), and frequently reflects the politically divisive climate of our time (in America and elsewhere).

From Brick Forcefury's shallow criticism (of the left, of identity politics, etc...) and his exaggerated fear/hatred of the unknown other (echoing Fox News, Info Wars, etc...) the film approaches an understanding of why the right has dismissed the left (and, to some extent, vice versa).

The individual conflict is explored through Brick Forcefury. As a border patrol officer working with another man (his partner named Partner), Brick is blissfully unaware of any conflict. Though he is reprimanded by his superior, named Chief, Brick succeeds at insulating himself from any consequences.

It's not until his male partner is replaced by a woman (his new partner named New Partner) that Brick's inner-conflict becomes evident. The conflict may therefore be interpreted as a failure to integrate the male and female aspects of his psyche (a failure worth exploring as it is common among those who align masculinity with strength, femininity with weakness).

Aside from disparaging remarks about women, Brick's inner-conflict is obvious when he is asked to attend group therapy. Perceiving group-therapy to put him in touch with his feelings (feelings that put him in touch with the feminine aspect of his psyche), Brick would sooner castrate himself.

The extremity of his response (pun intended) demonstrates that he values constructed gender above biological sexual orientation. Later, he is unable to recognize the gender of New Partner (repeatedly referring to her as a man).

In their efforts to help, both Wife (named Wife though she may not actually be his wife) and the Magician (not actually a magician) subject Brick to various chores (chores that would be subjected to a woman in a gender-normative context).

In both cases, Brick is reluctant. His reluctance may be read as the resistance of the male aspect of his psyche, perceiving a threat to its supremacy. Like the gender politics of our time, a certain demographic of men feel entitled to their supremacy (patriarchy), and mis-interpret the outcry for gender equality as the arrival of female supremacy (matriarchy).

In the end, Brick's inner-conflict is the conflict of intersectional politics. He cannot integrate the male and female aspects of his psyche and do justice to the race politics threatening the aliens from outer space. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Brick invents a new unknown other.

But by scapegoating the new unknown other, derivative of a past unknown other, Brick dooms himself (and America) to repeat past atrocities.