Suburbicon, an idyllic town, representing the American Dream in 1959s USA. Named after this town, the film is a noir crime thriller, full of mystery, and a story that brings together both the stereotypes of that bygone era, and current issues that still plague the world today.
When a home invasion goes wrong, Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon – Thor: Ragnarok, The Great Wall) is forced to deal with his life being turned upside-down when his wife Rose (Julianne Moore – Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1) is killed. Yet, not long before, the first African-American family had moved into the neighbourhood, and with all the racial fear that exists with the local townsfolk, they automatically become the prime suspects, and the target of much abhorrent behaviour by the locals.
Enter insurance agent Bud Cooper (Oscar Isaac – Star Wars: The Force Awakens, X-Men: Apocalypse), who stops by to make a routine check that all is in order before the policy on Rose is honoured.
Directed by George Clooney (The Monuments Men), and written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Suburbicon attempts to bring together both social commentary, murder mystery, and satire. And while the film does bring to the fore many questions on how politics has both changed, and not change, in the decades since the fifties, often falling short of fleshing these out fully, it does still present the audience with an engaging story. A story fraught with enough misdirection to evoke a moment of realisation, just before the stories climax begins.
Suburbicon may have missed the mark on a few of its story goals, but there is a story at the core. For fans of the noir, there is an uneasy misalignment of what one is used to. The dark moments of humour are entertaining, and with a talented cast, there are enough character layers to fill in the gaps where other aspects might leave gaps.
An average film, with above average cast, Suburbicon is likely to be both a hit and a miss, with audiences.
Suburbicon opens 10 November 2017 in cinemas, in South Africa.
