Sorry to Bother You: Review

Boots Riley, American rapper and lead singer of The Coup, is not Sorry to Bother You with his debut motion picture. It's difficult to decide what's more inconceivable, the storyline or the fact that this is genuinely his first film. From Annapurna Pictures - who rarely put out a bad film - Sorry to Bother You finally arrives in the UK following its successful run in the States and the festival circuit. Taking place in an alternative reality version of Oakland, this bizarre social satire follows Cassius Green as he works his way up the ladder of telemarketing, being propelled into a universe of greed along the way. 

Brilliantly bonkers and ridiculously inventive, there's weird and then theres Sorry to Bother You. This electrifying flick zigs zags between a bucket load of different genres - it's a black-comedy, satire, sci-fi, fantasy and drama that filters its ambitious themes into a thought-provoking and highly original product. Riley's quirky arthouse feature is loud and proud, but it's not just another preacher to the choir. For its sheer weirdness, Sorry to Bother You is a very unique piece of filmmaking, and Riley intertwines weighty ideas in a film that's style is beyond easy description. 

Sorry to Bother You gives the finger to, or more like tosses a cola can at the head of capitalism. We join Cassius on his rise to telemarketing fame - it seems like a bizarre profession to focus on but Riley uses the scenario to comment on how capitalism affects so many people on such a broad scale. Sorry to Bother You uniquely analyses slave labour and takes a very cynical look at big, corporate industries. There's a twist towards the third act that hands down defies anything you've ever seen before - Riley's bold, anti-capitalist metaphor drives the rest of the film as it steps into borderline horror territory, adding yet another genre to the list this fantastic fable covers. 

Lakeith Stanfield leads as our materialistic protagonist Cassius Green. Cassius, better known as Cash, has dollar signs in his eyes from the beginning - his character spotlights how greed can leave such a devastating impact on all around us. Stanfield brings a certain sense of disillusionment and naivety to his performance as Cash, who is sent through the ringer, exposed to the crushing realities of life. For the second week running Tessa Thompson turns in another fabulous performance, playing Cash's orange haired girlfriend Detroit. As an artistic activist a lot of her actions are particularly off the wall yet a lot of what she says rings very true - Thompson throws herself into a very odd role, tackling it with verve and vigour. 

The wackier the better. Sorry to Bother You inventively highlights the failings of modern democracy through the language of film jabbing at capitalism and white privilege along the  way. Marvellously edited with cartoonish scene transitions and compelling social commentary, Riley throws everything he's got into this mad-cap satire. So random it will keep you guessing till the very last scene, Sorry to Bother You is a remarkable debut that introduces a new filmmaker with an original quirky style. 

Sorry to Bother You:

Amazing