By Jate Britton
Videographer
Produced by Jordan Peele, the mind behind “Get Out,” “Us” and “Nope,” “Him” arrived with high expectations. However, when it hit theaters, both critics and audiences found it disappointing, but I have to disagree. Despite its flaws, I found “Him” to be thought-provoking, original and thematically brave.
However, when “Him” made its debut in theaters, critics and audiences similarly felt it didn’t deliver as much as they expected. Bob Mondello, a film critic for NPR, critiqued the movie’s use of stylized imagery and said that “it all gets pretty tiresome after a while.” Despite many individuals finding the movie disappointing, I found it to be thought-provoking, original and delivered a heavy message.
The film centers around Cameron Cade, an up-and-coming young football player, and his idol, Isaiah White, who is considered one of the greatest football players of all time. After suffering a brain injury, Cade is invited by White to train with him, which he accepts. Initially, everything seems ordinary, and White mentors Cade normally, but after the first day of training, things get darker, with White telling Cade he has to be willing to sacrifice everything to be the greatest, and witnessing the introduction of White’s cult-like fandom.
The film’s visuals and sound design effectively portray the supernatural, cultish atmosphere it aims for. The imagery occasionally gets distorted and even nauseating, but only in moments where nausea is an appropriate reaction to what is going on in the story. “Him” uses colored lighting very heavily, with multiple scenes almost appearing to have a tint placed over them because of the light. While some may find this lighting overdone, I thought it helped set the tone of the scene, with red light being used for disturbing or anger-inducing moments, and blue light being used in scenes where Cade is isolated or concerned.
While the visuals are strong, the pacing can at times be confusing, especially with some moments being hallucinations. The pacing can also be confusing because the days are counted by tally marks rather than numbered, so when it says “day two,” some may read it as “day 11.”
The themes presented in “Him” I found very interesting, and I was thinking about them for the next few days after I saw it. Two of the film’s strongest themes are the treatment of athletes as deities and the idea of sacrifice. Relying heavily on religious symbolism, both Cade and White are presented like prophets, with Cade posing like a cross
in the movie’s poster.
A theme “Him” explores as well is sacrifice. Much of the movie revolves around what Cade is willing to sacrifice to be the greatest football player. In the movie, he’s told that to be the greatest, he will have to put football before his family and God, and that he will even have to be willing to kill for it. “Him” poses a compelling question of how far someone should go to achieve greatness. Everyone makes sacrifices in pursuit of their dreams, but the film forces viewers to ask themselves where they draw that line
and what they’ll be left with after their goal is fulfilled.
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