"I am not the American Nightmare/ I am the American dream"
If you’re like me, when the video for Janelle Monae’s “Make
Me Feel” dropped earlier this year, you immediately watched it ten (or who
knows, maybe many more than ten) times. If you didn’t, are you even alive? Not
only was the song astonishingly good—catchy, gorgeous, reminiscent of Prince in
the best of ways—but the video was also a perfect gem of storytelling, visuals,
and acting. It caused me to pre-order Dirty
Computer so fast that I almost ordered it twice because I couldn’t remember
doing it the first time. As I awaited each new video from the album, I noticed
recurring themes, images, and faces (Tessa Thompson particularly). So it made
sense when I found out that Monae was going to release an entire (e)motion
picture to accompany the album. Clearly there was going to be a larger narrative at work here.
The (e)motion picture follows Jane (Janelle Monae) in a
future that, while more vibrantly colored, with way better outfits, and
occasionally more futuristic than ours, still actively works to harm any person
who is in any way “other.” In this case, that means kidnapping and then
forcefully reprogramming them to be cogs within the greater machine of society.
We start with Jane having been captured, and labelled a “dirty computer,” and
about to begin the process of Nevermind which will remove her memories and
reprogram her into fitting back into society. There she is greeted by her
already reprogrammed lost love, played by Tessa Thompson (as amazing as
always). Incorporated throughout the telling of Jane’s reprogramming are her
memories, which are being viewed by the technicians who are erasing them from
her mind. Each music video that had been previously released and some new ones
serve as these memories (which also are sometimes something other than
memories, as one of the baffled technicians points out).
While the storyline is somewhat typical dystopic sci-fi, it’s
the way that Monae has conceived of her world that makes this film so
effective. It’s beautifully filmed and drips with color, light, and joy (at
least within the memories). It’s also so wonderfully open and alive in its depiction
of sexuality and queerness, that each memory feels like a call to arms to
embrace your true self. Plus, like, the music is just freaking fantastic. I’ve
been a fan of Monae’s for a long time, and this new album is already my most
listened to of hers. I’ve had it on repeat, basically non-stop, since it came
out. Each song moves between genres dynamically and the lyrics are excellent
throughout. This is a truly multimodal work—it should be listened to, read, and
watched.
If there are issues in the film, they mostly come down to
needing slightly more space to breathe (it clocks in under an hour in length)
and a standard plot progression. But, honestly, those are small gripes—this may
not be perfect in a critical sense, but it is perfect in the sense of the
emotions felt during it and the way it confronts hatred and othering in such a
dynamic, and always refreshingly beautiful way.
The Math
Baseline Assessment: 10/10
Penalties: -1 for some standard plotting, -1 for it should've been two hours
Bonuses: +1 for Janelle's outfits, +1 for being one of the most vibrantly queer narratives I've seen
Nerd Coefficient: 10/10
Baseline Assessment: 10/10
Penalties: -1 for some standard plotting, -1 for it should've been two hours
Bonuses: +1 for Janelle's outfits, +1 for being one of the most vibrantly queer narratives I've seen
Nerd Coefficient: 10/10
POSTED BY: Chloe, speculative fiction fan in all forms, monster theorist, and Nerds of a Feather blogger since 2016. Find her on Twitter @PintsNCupcakes
