Director: Sam Esmail
Stars: Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon
7/10
A couple (Roberts and Hawke) and their two children rent an isolated estate on Long Island. They are self-absorbed, antagonistic toward one another, barely integrated into family life, and disinterested in the world outside them.
Cell and internet service suddenly fail which detaches them from social media and individual interests. Bewildering events follow: an oil tanker beaches itself, deer and flamingoes mysteriously show up around the house, planes crash, eerie sounds come and go, drones drop propaganda leaflets in Arabic and Chinese. The owner of the house, an investing mogul, and his daughter arrive. They’ve fled New York and want to stay at their remote home until things clear up. Mistrust abounds amid the strange events, perhaps all the more so because the owner is African American. A measure of cooperation comes as they deal with bewilderment and troubles.
The adults try to make sense of things but only know that hackers are involved. As days pass and outages persist, it’s clear the hackers are sophisticated and dangerous. Chaos and fighting erupt in major cities. Very little is discovered as to the cause of events until near the end of the film. That’s a problem as the interpersonal dynamics aren’t especially interesting, at least not to me, and the big question hangs overhead with very little to go with.
Julia Roberts is very much out of character here and that’s not criticism. She isn’t her usual lovely, frail, likable self. She’s unattractive, stern, and misanthropic. Mahershala Ali is outstanding as the investment mogul and homeowner. He clearly knows more than he lets on about events but unfortunately we never know exactly what he knows.
Kevin Bacon is a “prepper” – someone who has long believed in a coming societal collapse and who stocks food, water, and ammo. He is certain that N Korea, China, and Russia are behind the hacking and bizarre events. The investment mogul believes that right-wing groups, including some of his clients, are behind things and that they are planning a coup.
We don’t really learn which explanation is true. Both are plausible and resonate with events of our day. However, the heavy use of red and blue colors throughout the film brings to mind America’s deep divisions. By the way, the executive producers are Barack and Michelle Obama.
©2023 Brian M Downing
Brian M Downing is a national security analyst who’s written for outlets across the political spectrum. He studied at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, and did post-graduate work at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs. Thanks as ever to fellow Hoya Susan Ganosellis.