Imagine your only concern on this one night is getting into as many parties as possible – and maybe taking your crush home for a good seeing to? Honestly, that sounds stressful as hell to me: several parties on the same night? Talking to your crush, let alone trying to bed them? I’d rather stay home. But, say this is your situation – low level stakes, right?
Well, what if you’re not a middle-aged white woman? What if every move you make is very different to the moves you’d make as a white person? This is where we find ourselves this week when Sean, Kunle and Carlos find an unfamiliar (and underaged) white girl passed out on their living room floor.
This film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and garnered 9 nominations and 3 wins for its efforts on the awards circuit. Personally I think it deserves the praise.
Emergency
Directed by: Carey Williams
United States, 2022
Drama, thriller, comedy
Runtime: 105 minutes
Synopsis:
Ready for a night of legendary partying, three college students must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an unexpected situation.
*Minor spoilers*
Sean (Cyler) and Kunle (Watkins) may be very different types of college student – Sean’s positively horizontal compared to science prodigy (and bacteria parent) Kunle – but when it comes to down-time, the BFFs have exactly the same things in common: recreational greens, girls and partying.
Tonight they’re due to embark on the ‘legendary tour’, the completion of seven frat parties in one single night – and all is right with the world. Well, until they discover an unconscious white girl in their living room.
Which is bad enough at the best of times, but one call to 911 and everything should be sorted, right? Maybe not for Sean, Kunle and their room mate Carlos (Chacon), all of whom have been drinking, smoking weed and are, frankly, non-Caucasian. Kunle favours the former idea of going to the authorities, while Sean remarks that that’s the last thing they should do given all the reasons listed above – in fact it would probably result in violence or worse – so they decide to handle the situation themselves.
Meanwhile, the girl’s big sister Maddy (Carpenter) realises she’s missing from the party they were attending, and frantically sets out to find her. With the assistance of friend Alice (Madison Thompson) and Rafael (Diego Abraham), Maddy’s path leads her straight toward the boys’ – with dramatic results.
Thoughts
This film really moved me in the same way I almost lost my shit at the end of Get Out (until TSA officer Rod Williams shows up). There are several moments you expect any of our central trio to be shot dead and that makes for a very stressful watching experience.
Ultimately, I think the film is about the decisions made by Sean and Kunle, and how neither is right or wrong, though Sean’s experience turns out to be far closer to the truth – and sets Kunle up for a more fearful future. It’s insidious and sad – and the final shot is very impactful.
I do have to say that although I enjoyed this, there were times I struggled with the mix of comedy and dead serious. We’re talking Super Bad meets Queen & Slim and that’s a hard balancing act to achieve. It ultimately works but it took me a while to settle into.
My rating
4/5
What did Jill think? Would she embark on this crazy adventure or call the feds and face the consequences? Find out here.
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