Captive State

Here is a movie that is going to divide a great number of people who watch it.  Captive State is either going to frustrate or engage anyone who sits through it, and I think the studio understood that, which is why they released it cold this weekend without any advance screenings for critics.  I, however, was kind of engaged by the world and society that it created.  Director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is essentially making a story about humankind after an alien invasion, but he has done so with little Sci-Fi thrills, and an extremely low budget.  So, the focus is almost entirely on the humanity, and not on the more action-heavy elements of the plot.

The aliens themselves (who we see very little of) don't really play a role in the story.  Using mostly handheld cameras, Wyatt is kind of going for a docudrama style, depicting the ways that humanity is silently defying the alien oppressors.  The invaders basically control all technology, so humans have resorted to using carrier pigeons in order to send secret messages to one another.  I admit, I'm kind of fascinated in this kind of stuff.  I like stories that really delve into the society that has emerged since an apocalyptic Sci-Fi event, and that's just what this movie is.  The movie has gotten a lot of criticism for being drab and lifeless, but I didn't see it that way.  This feels like an honest depiction of what a society under alien control would feel like.  There is no comic relief or joy in this movie, and I admired that.  This is a straight-faced, no thrills movie that still managed to work for me, because I was drawn in by the world it inhabited.

As the film opens, it has been nine years since the aliens invaded and essentially took control of our entire society.  Humankind surrendered, and now we basically have a government system that is run by the invaders.  The humans who decided to cooperate with the aliens are protected and live in luxury, while the rest of society are forced to live in the ruins of the poorer neighborhoods.  Law enforcement, under the control of the aliens, has turned our world into a police state.  All humans are forced to have a tracking device implanted in their necks so that they can be monitored at all times.  One of the more fascinating aspects of the film is how it explores how certain people believe that the invasion was a good thing, and has improved our society.  Crime is at an all time low.  As long as you are on the side of the E.T.s, you are pretty much guaranteed a good life.

Naturally, a resistance movement has formed, who plan terrorist-like attacks on major events planned by the alien visitors.  The film looks at both sides of a growing war, with the resistance represented by some locals, and the side of the police represented by a straight-laced agent named Mulligan (John Goodman).  Goodman plays Mulligan as a man who is doing his job.  Maybe he supports the aliens, maybe he doesn't.  He uses a poker face the whole time, and while we get a few hints that maybe he still believes in humanity, it's hard to tell.  It's the right way to play the character.  The side of the resistance is represented by a young man named Gabriel (Ashton Sanders from Moonlight).  He witnessed his family get wiped out by the invaders while they were trying to escape from their home in Chicago, and now supports an underground movement called Phoenix.  His brother Rafe (Jonathan Majors) was also part of the movement, and Gabriel believes he died for the cause.  Now, as Phoenix is planning an attack at an upcoming Unity Rally where the aliens are scheduled to make an appearance, Gabriel learns that there's more to all of this than he knows.

The screenplay credited to Wyatt and his wife, Erica Beeney, shows that a lot of thought went into its vision of an Earth under the control of invading alien forces.  I especially liked how it explores the two sides of human society.  Those who support the invaders still have access to current technology, which the aliens now control via a signal on top of a skyscraper.  The resistance is forced to use primitive technology so that their efforts are not discovered.  Newspapers have also taken on a vital role, as the Phoenix movement is sending secret messages in the classified ads, via a supporter who works on the staff.  The film also takes on an almost spy thriller approach, as we see both the resistance and the law enforcement trying to stay one step ahead of each other, crack their codes, and infiltrate one another.  The movie also creates a believable image of a post-invasion Chicago, where parts of the city are in ruins, while others still function as normal.

But what really sells the film are the performances.  Everyone treats this as if it were real, and gives it a hard, honest edge.  The cast includes some familiar faces like Vera Farmiga, Alan Ruck, D.B. Sweeney and Kevin Dunn,  and each of them find the right note to their performances.  This is not a light movie, nor does it rely on a lot of special effects or action to grab the audience.  As I mentioned, we seldom see the aliens themselves, and when we do, they have been brought to life with low budget but effective CG.  This is a sad, human story, and the cast brings the right amount of intensity.  If anyone were to crack a smile or not take this seriously, the tone of the film would be completely ruined.  The tension is built around the two sides of humanity in a secret war with each other.  This is a human thriller that just happens to have a Sci-Fi backdrop.

Captive State is most likely not going to do great business at the box office, but I can only hope it gets discovered at home by people who like their Sci-Fi when it delves into the world itself, instead of giving us expensively realized battles and special effects.  I found this to be a very sharp and involving film, but I will understand if you don't agree.  It's not a movie for everyone.  But I can see it getting a loyal following.

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