'Suburbicon' Movie Highlights Individual and Collective Racism and Hypocrisy

Recently I went to the movies with my eldest son to watch Suburbicon. After the opening scene, I expected a light, comedic movie about a beautiful estate created for those who wished to escape the city hustle and bustle to live in an affordable family community, with manicured lawns and general amenities. Released on the 27th October 2017 and directed by George Clooney, this movie quickly turned into a blood-curdling suspense/thriller. The Coen brothers wrote the screenplay for this movie in 1986. The Coen brother's films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Their best-reviewed works include: Miller's Crossing (1990), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998) [<<read Periecho article relating to this movie], No Country for Old Men (2007), A Serious Man (2009), True Grit (2010), and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).

Suburbicon has received much criticism from reviewers, but it will not receive such criticism from me. For me, the accusations of 'scattered execution' and 'tokenism' is exactly what makes this movie hugely successful in its highlighting of racism and hypocrisy. Starring Matt Damon and Julianne Moore, Suburbicon raises the issue of racism against a black family moving into a preened, white community. The year is 1959 and the focus on this new family becomes more and more disturbing as the movie plays out.

Suburbicon Official Trailer

(Paramount Pictures)

For me personally, it was more than just a movie about racism and white privilege in the 1950's. This movie highlights the prejudices and mis-held beliefs we all may individually hold. We might terrifyingly focus on the race, sexuality, religion and thoughts of innocent others, and we miss the outrageous misdemeanours occurring under the roofs of our 'own'. Blindly we picket, rant and rave as a pack of wild animals, not realising or caring about the damage we do to those we are against. Meanwhile; we ignore the atrocities that play out due to evil hearts within our own herd. To write about what happens in this movie would potentially ruin the impact it may have on individuals reading this article, so I encourage you to see Suburbicon and keep your mind and heart open to the possibility that there may be a message in it for you.

Belinda has always enjoyed expressing herself. Her mediums have included dance, painting, writing, text messages and performing for local theatre companies. In 2010 she was invited to write comment articles for Press Service International which culminated in her winning the 'Basil Seller's Australian Young Writer of the Year' in 2015. Her writing is now published at cinemafaith.com and periecho.com. Belinda lives on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

See previous articles by Belinda Croft