Assassination Nation

Assassination Nation is a high-energy, hell-raising, social horror film that was released in 2018. It was both written and directed by Sam Levinson and features an impressive ensemble cast headed up by Odessa Young, Abra, Suki Waterhouse, and Hari Nef among others.

The film is set in the small town of Salem, which shelters beneath its rosy exterior a dark underside of secrets, hypocrisies and personal grudges. The town drips with an eerie blend of small-town charm and silent, lurking danger. Its tranquility is punctured when a hacker starts revealing personal information and secrets of the residents of Salem. The people's lives in Salem suddenly descend into chaos, spinning rapidly out of control when the blame for the information leak turns towards four high school girls, who become the targets of an all-out witch-hunt.

The leading character, Lily (Odessa Young), experiences life in the fullest, being an ordinary teenager dealing with high-school drama, friendships, and exploring relationships. She, along with her companions Bex (Hari Nef), Sarah (Suki Waterhouse), and Em (Abra) comprise the group of four friends. They find themselves caught up in this frenzy when Salem metamorphoses into a realm of violence, mob justice and paranoia. The characters are vividly written, each imbued with their own strengths and frailties, becoming more engaging and relatable as the plot grows darker.

Assassination Nation is drenched in a lurid aesthetic, which complements its experimental narrative structure. In this movie, the storytelling is never binary; instead, it is like a chainsaw cutting through the norms of cinematic storytelling, creating its own rules and breaking them whenever it deems fit. The cinematography deserves an honorable mention, with dynamic shots, bold angles, and an insistent use of red filters that create a feeling of tension and foreboding throughout the film.

A strong component of the film is its blaring, adrenaline-pumping soundtrack that makes a statement just as powerful as its visuals. The music oscillates between heavy electronica and heart-thumping drum beats that set the tone for each scene and enhance the viewing experience.

The film is more than just another horror-thriller. It is a social commentary on the contemporary issues of privacy invasion, internet culture, mob mentality, and the double standards so prevalent in society. However, it presents these heavy subjects in a unique and intriguing amalgam of humor, horror, satirical wit, and irony that doesn’t let the pace falter or the audience’s interest wane.

Director Sam Levinson leverages the elements of horror and thriller genres but bends them in clever ways to conjure a mixture of suspense, satire, and social drama that is both thought-provoking and heart-thumping. His vision translates on screen in the form of a bold and audacious film that is reflective of the digital age and its associated issues.

Assassination Nation is part cautionary tale, part revenge fantasy, but at its core, it is a wild ride that holds up a mirror to the contemporary society’s deepest fears and follies. Performances by the cast, especially the four leading ladies, are commendable, as they convincingly portray teenagers stuck in an unfathomable crisis while struggling to maintain their sanity.

It is an extraordinarily timely film, that does deviate from the traditional in terms of its storytelling approach and conveys a chilling observation about the modern society, technology, and the limits of privacy. This film is certainly not for everybody, with its unremitting intensity and graphic content. However, for those willing to venture to the dark side of societal behavior in the digital era, Assassination Nation offers up a wild, intense, and thought-provoking cinematic experience.

In conclusion, Assassination Nation is an audaciously powerful film that intertwines horror, drama, and social commentary into an intense, visually striking roller-coaster ride of a storyline. Refreshingly original and brutally honest, this film lures audiences into a realm of chaos and violence, underpinning a narrative that is biting, topical and all too relevant in the present-day landscape of society and technology.