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Pandemic Resistance: 5 Films to stream on Class Struggle
As the pandemic continues to exacerbate the difficulties of class struggle. Bernie, the champion of the working class and poor suspends his 2020 presidential campaign after raising over $2 million for coronavirus relief.
As infrastructure crumbles for the people of many countries under COVID-19, we put together a list of 5 Films on Class Struggle for your streaming pleasure during social distancing and quarantine.
Parasite – Hulu
The record-breaking 2020 Best Picture-winning film at the Oscars is now available for streaming on Hulu.
The South Korean film explores social class and interactions between the upper and lower classes.
Parasite follows a poor working-class family trying to better their financial circumstances by working for a wealthy family. They use strategy to secure each other jobs but of course, things don’t always work the way you plan.
The film’s writer and director Bong Joon-ho is the genius behind another more dystopian rendition of class struggle themes Snowpiercer, also worth streaming via Netflix.
Knives Out – Amazon Prime
Knives Out is 2019 American mystery film starring a long list of big stars like Daniel Craig, Ana De Armas, Lakeith Stanfield, Chris Evans, and Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Colette. The film follows the death of Patriarch and crime novelist Harlan Thrombey.
The story centers on his caretaker, Marta Cabrera, a Latina whose mother is undocumented. The film explores wealth, privilege, ‘passive racism’ and the vulnerability of immigrants within the American structure.
The Platform – Netflix
“El Hoyo” or the Platform is an original Netflix film that depicts a vertical prison with one cell per level.
Each cell has two people and food is sent down via platform for two minutes of feeding time for each cell the entire way up and down. Those higher get significant food and drink and as the platform descends food becomes far more scarce.
With several devastating twists and revelations, the film explores the way society opts for selfishness despite understanding the system stacked against them all.
Us – HBO
Jordan Peele’s sophomore horror film Us is intricate and purposefully complex in its meaning. Peele has not divulged the hidden messages in the film as he did with Get Out.
With an amazing performance by Lupita Nyongo, Us follows a family who encounters their murderous doppelganger. The doppelganger family seems to want to do them harm but it’s unclear why.
The film can easily be read as a class struggle and has been formulated as such via many think pieces. However you may interpret it, the film is definitely worth revisiting during this Pandemic.
Sorry To Bother You – Hulu
The independent film sensation Sorry To Bother You brought psychedelic realism and dark comedy to a story highlighting the commodification of struggle and how the grassroots organization is highjacked by capitalism.
Lots of deep themes, but the watchability of the film is insanely enigmatic.
The film is relentless with obvious commentary on race and economic structure. Quite out there in terms of originality and fearlessness, something only an independent film can do.