Assassination Nation

Assassination Nation is a 2018 thriller film that features the lives of four teenage girls living in Salem, a quiet town in Massachusetts. The fiercely independent teenagers are played by Odessa Young as Lily Colson, Abra as Bex Warren, Suki Waterhouse as Sarah, and Hari Nef as Em.

While the opening credits of the movie show the town's past and present, the main plot begins when a hacker exposes the private internet and social media information of many of the townspeople. This event sends the town into disarray as people's secrets and scandals are revealed, leading to violent chaos.

The teenage girls who are the center of the movie are affected by the hack and its aftermath in different ways. Lily is a well-liked high school student who maintains a clean image. However, under the layers of her seemingly perfect life, she is hiding her own secrets. Bex is Lily's best friend, who is openly bisexual and deals with drug addiction. Sarah is the school's resident "hot mess," while Em challenges society's binary understanding of gender.

As the drama in Salem escalates, the girls find themselves in the crosshairs of the town's angry mob. The girls turn to each other for support as they fight to stay alive and protect their town from the brutal violence that erupts.

The film, directed by Sam Levinson, unleashes an unapologetic and raw account of modern-day society, including social media and the current political climate. The movie touches on topics such as racism, sexism, gun violence, privacy, misogyny, homophobia, and the pressure that society puts on women to conform to patriarchal standards of beauty and behavior.

The cinematography is slick and remarkably ingenious, especially the scenes shot with shades of pink, blue and purple neon lights that give a vintage look to the film. The camera captures the mayhem and frenzied mob scenes with disturbing realism, along with a haunting soundtrack that makes the viewer feel as trapped and claustrophobic as the characters.

The acting in the film is exceptional. The four lead actresses showcase their incredible range and bring depth to the characters they play, making the viewer empathize with their struggles in a world that fails to accept them as they are. The supporting characters, such as Lily's dad, played by Joel McHale, and the town mayor, played by Cullen Moss, also deliver standout performances, that add to the film's intensity.

The movie's message of feminist rebellion and female empowerment is evident throughout the film. The girls are unafraid to take on their oppressors and fight back against the patriarchy that seeks to take them down. Their refusal to conform to society's expectations of "proper" female behavior makes them a symbol of resistance and hope for the marginalized and oppressed.

In conclusion, Assassination Nation is a gripping, thought-provoking, and unflinching film that delivers a powerful message on modern-day society's failings. It is an essential movie that must be watched because it resonates with the current climate of the world, and hopefully, it will inspire change.