SocietyWhat if all of your worst paranoid nightmares were given flesh? Society is a psychological thriller and body horror movie about a teenager named Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock), who has everything a high school boy could want. He is popular, a basketball star, excels at the debate team, has an attractive cheerleader girlfriend, and a rich family. But Bill has been haunted by the feeling that something is amiss with his family, and shares these anxieties with his psychologist, Dr. Cleveland (Ben Slack). As Bill's mind appears to be unraveling, he uncovers a conspiracy so monumental and disturbing, it alters the very definition of "society".
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For most of Society, it is implied that although Bill believes there to be some monstrous conspiracy against him, it is just as plausible that it is all in his head, or even that these are not mutually exclusive. Consider an early scene where Bill is in Dr. Cleveland's office and he takes a bite out of an apple, and sees crawling worms within. It's a metaphor for the corruption writhing beneath the surface of privileged society, but Bill envisions it in a literal sense; regardless of the forces working against him, Bill's perception of reality has been disturbed. Society plays off of the idea that the camera is (by default) an objective observer, but events from Bill's point of vie are so unsettling, that it begs the question as to what really just happened. For example, Bill passes by his parents, Jim (Charles Lucia) and Nan (Connie Danese), admiring a platter of slugs in their garden, commenting on what a good "crop" they have this year. (Surely they're talking about the roses...) Or how Bill walks in on his sister, Jenny (Patrice Jennings), getting a visibly erotic massage from his (and her) parents--all of whom are in their underwear--implying an icky, incestuous relationship. The objectivity of the camera comes into question when Bill is in the throes of a paranoid episode, such as when the camera follows him through his house at night--creeping around while tightly gripping a chef's knife--suggesting that Bill is not in total control of his senses. Bill's friend, Milo (Evan Richards), tries to keep Bill stable, but a schoolmate and ex-boyfriend of Jenny's named Blanchard (Tim Bartell) causes his paranoia to spike when he shares a tape he secretly recorded of his family and other members of "society" at Jenny's coming out party engaged in what sounds like a depraved orgy. Many of the people in this society are elitist jerks, like Bill's preppy rival, Ferguson (Ben Meyerson), but others like Dr. Cleveland appear sympathetic to Bill and attempt to contain his mania. One of the earliest scenes in Society depicts a visibly frightened Bill sitting on his doctor's couch, opening up about his inner fears and anxieties--as is common with many teenagers experience after puberty and on the verge of terrifying adulthood. But when Dr. Cleveland replies with, "you'll make a wonderful contribution to society", Bill's experiences infuse it with ominous portent. These moments put the audience in Bill's mind, desperately combating the paranoid sensation that everyone is in on some diabolical conspiracy to destroy him--a scenario too horrible for words.
The terror of Society is in how far the film is willing to make literal the metaphors used to describe the filthy rich and power elite. Consider how people describe the "one-percent": monsters who consider themselves a race superior to the rest of us...foul cretins that have stretched their tentacles into politics and the law...slimy bloodsuckers. The society in Society is a secret one; although people like the celebrated Judge Carter (David Wiley) pull the strings in our society, it isn't until the jaw-dropping conclusion that the true nature of these secret entities which have manipulated the ruling powers throughout history is revealed. Bill discovers only the most superficial elements of the conspiracy, but even he is unprepared for the ugly truth. The infamous climax of Society is a vivid and gross set piece called "the shunting". It is a sloppy, wet, and stomach-turning scene of carnage, transpiring within the glow of a meat-red light--a disgusting hybrid between a decadent orgy and a gruesome ritual killing, all whimsically set to "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss II. Bill is treated literally like livestock, a lamb nurtured only to be slaughtered for a celebratory feast. As shocking and gross as this endgame is, it has the air of very dark comedy to it. "Society" has been revealed to be the monsters that they really are: entitled and cruel, and warped into a tangled legion of hedonism and obscene self-gratification. This unsettling conclusion is foreshadowed in Society to some degree; Bill is treated a bit like a pet by those in this collective, secretly groomed and trained for the destined, unholy ceremony. Even the lovely Clarissa Carlyn (Devin DeVasquez)--who tries to save Bill from his dire fate--teases Bill in a way that a patronizing (if unintended) air of condescension. Society ultimately makes the argument that no matter how crazy your perception of the world is, the worst thing that could happen would be to be proven right.
Recommended for: Fans of a horror film and satire of the "rich and famous" that uses a paranoid conspiracy plot to justify a nightmarish gross-out set piece at the end. Society is at its best when it depicts the obscenely wealthy as obscenely monstrous, using vivid and outlandish special effects to give flesh to that metaphor.
The terror of Society is in how far the film is willing to make literal the metaphors used to describe the filthy rich and power elite. Consider how people describe the "one-percent": monsters who consider themselves a race superior to the rest of us...foul cretins that have stretched their tentacles into politics and the law...slimy bloodsuckers. The society in Society is a secret one; although people like the celebrated Judge Carter (David Wiley) pull the strings in our society, it isn't until the jaw-dropping conclusion that the true nature of these secret entities which have manipulated the ruling powers throughout history is revealed. Bill discovers only the most superficial elements of the conspiracy, but even he is unprepared for the ugly truth. The infamous climax of Society is a vivid and gross set piece called "the shunting". It is a sloppy, wet, and stomach-turning scene of carnage, transpiring within the glow of a meat-red light--a disgusting hybrid between a decadent orgy and a gruesome ritual killing, all whimsically set to "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss II. Bill is treated literally like livestock, a lamb nurtured only to be slaughtered for a celebratory feast. As shocking and gross as this endgame is, it has the air of very dark comedy to it. "Society" has been revealed to be the monsters that they really are: entitled and cruel, and warped into a tangled legion of hedonism and obscene self-gratification. This unsettling conclusion is foreshadowed in Society to some degree; Bill is treated a bit like a pet by those in this collective, secretly groomed and trained for the destined, unholy ceremony. Even the lovely Clarissa Carlyn (Devin DeVasquez)--who tries to save Bill from his dire fate--teases Bill in a way that a patronizing (if unintended) air of condescension. Society ultimately makes the argument that no matter how crazy your perception of the world is, the worst thing that could happen would be to be proven right.
Recommended for: Fans of a horror film and satire of the "rich and famous" that uses a paranoid conspiracy plot to justify a nightmarish gross-out set piece at the end. Society is at its best when it depicts the obscenely wealthy as obscenely monstrous, using vivid and outlandish special effects to give flesh to that metaphor.