The Oath
The Oath is a clumsy, but ambitious directorial debut for Barinholtz and provides a blisteringly satirical examination of the modern political divide.
Comedian / actor Ike Barinholtz tries his hand at directing a feature - length film for the first fourth dimension onThe Oath , an original movie that he also wrote and produce . The Oathwas further backed by three of the same producers who bring on the Oscar - winningGet Outand this summer ’s critical darlingBlackKkKlansman , which is all the more noteworthy since Barinholtz ’s project ( like those pic ) unfolds as a " social thriller " that combine barren temper with pointed sociopolitical irony . Barinholtz ’s own entry in that growing subgenre is n’t as strong as either of those flick , but it ’s a noteworthy launching all the same and very much has its finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist . The Oathis a clumsy , but challenging directorial debut for Barinholtz and provides a blisteringly satiric exam of the modern political divide .
The events ofThe Oathare set in movement when the U.S. government annunciate architectural plan for The Patriot ’s Oath , an swearing of loyalty to the commonwealth ’s President that its citizens are further , but not required , to sign up . Those who correspond to " The Oath " are offered a revenue enhancement deduction as incentive , with the deadline to sign set to exit ten month after the initial announcement - more specifically , on the day after the next Thanksgiving , aka . Black Friday . answer it to say , bountiful political news junkie Chris ( Barinholtz ) and his as progressive wife Kai ( Tiffany Haddish ) are n’t interested and refuse to even take taking " The Oath " from the get - go .
As the deadline loom nigher and the government begin to deploy officer from the Citizens Protection Unit or CPU ( an off - shoot of the Department of Homeland Security ) to counter the spring up act of protests against " The Oath " , more people start to cave in and sign , rather than risk contribute scathe to themselves and their loved ones . Chris nevertheless pass up to budge on the issue , even knowing that it will pass to increased tension ( that is , even more tension than there already is ) between himself and the rest of his house over Thanksgiving dinner . However , not even Chris is prepared for justhowintense this year ’s vacation get - together will become .
Barinholtz ’s hand forThe Oathstarts off as aTwilight Zone - esque social satire before then evolving into a dark comedy about a kinsperson gathered for Thanksgiving during its 2nd human action and , ultimately , release into a single - localization thriller in its final third . For the large part , though , the picture show succeed in transitioning organically from one subgenre to another and avoids feeling episodic in its overarching body structure . The Oathis likewise efficient in set up its ominous yet off - kelter feel from the very starting time , thus allow it to smoothly alternate from being awkwardly funny to comically horrify throughout the end of its story . It ’s a challenging tightrope take the air but , for the most part , Barinholtz and his henchman succeed in keeping their counterpoise and avoid give viewers emotional whiplash in the process .
From a technological perspective , The Oathlikewise does a commendable job of bringing its abject - budget proceedings to life in a cinematically piquant fashion . While Barinholtz ’s film lacks the slick technical fanfare that films likeGet OutandBlacKkKlansmanbrought to the table , it certainly has an idiosyncratic style of its own - one that include comedically presentiment ( and gigantic ) intertitles , as well as dramatic euphony cue by composer Bret " Epic " Mazur that are as silly - scary in their presentation . The photographic film ’s cinematography by DP Cary Lalonde ( a first assistant tv camera onThe Cabin in the Woodsand multipleX - Menmovies ) makes interchangeable use of cockeyed camera slant for create an increasingly suffocate atmosphere as its plot grows dreary and darker . Together , these ingredient only further enhance the bitter satirical flavor thatThe Oathis clearly going for .
Although Barinholtz stretches his wings further as a storyteller than an actor here , he nevertheless delivers a goodly funny - dramatic twist as Chris , a passionate fellow who all too often fails to keep his composure when it comes to talking politics . The Oathalso does a nice job of quietly calling attention to how Chris ( as a white man ) enjoys societal privileges that his pitch-black wife does not and , thus , is more prepared to shoot his mouth off in the same situations where Kai knows she has to keep a level head for her and her family ’s sake . As a result , Haddish gets to show off more of her dramatic grasp as an thespian here , while at the same clip putting her well - established comedy chop shot to appropriate manipulation whenever the scene calls for it . While Barinholtz and Haddish areThe Oath ’s main magnet for related ground , its support cast members ( which include Carrie Brownstein , Chris Ellis , Nora Dunn , Meredith Hagner and Barinholtz ’s veridical - life sidekick Jon ) all get their moments to polish as the member of Chris ' home and/or their important others .
Unfortunately , The Oath ’s first half ends up being noticeably firm overall than its s . More specifically , the flick depart to run into problems after Chris and Kai ’s ( diabolical ) Thanksgiving dinner party is interrupt by a yoke of CPU agent - namely , the fairish Agent Peter ( John Cho ) and the borderline cark Agent Mason ( Billy Magnussen ) . Ultimately , The Oathwrites itself into a bit of a corner and fails to dissolve its various game / role thread and larger theme without repair to some ham - fisted plot twists and turns along the way . The motion picture gratefully avoids going entirely off the rails , but its subtext and the societal commentary that it was going for winds up muddled yet - resulting in a conclusion that feels too convenient , given everything that come before it .
Even with these missteps , however , Barinholtz manage to stick the landing place withThe Oathand , thusly , get his movie - making calling take off on a respectable banker’s bill . SinceThe Oathspends more of its vigor on try out contemporary political sermon and less on making overt references to real - humans politicians ( though , of course , there are parallel between the motion-picture show ’s cosmos and our own ) , it may even allow some catharsis for those moviegoers who are in the mood for some openly political entertainment . At the same clock time , it should be noted that Barinholtz ’s satire does n’t at all shy aside from exploring uncomfortable societal substitution and inherited interactions ( see again , thoseGet OutandBlacKkKlansmancomparisons ) . In that regard , those who are concerned in seeingThe Oathmight require to approach it as a trial run for theirownThanksgiving get - together after this year .
TRAILER
The Oathis now playing in select U.S. theaters . It is 93 mo long and is rated R for lyric throughout , force and some drug use .
A family ’s Thanksgiving holiday dinner goes off the rails when a controversial White House policy plough family unit phallus against family member . Production begin in December 2017 , before Roadside Attractions and Topic Studios pluck up the film ’s U.S. statistical distribution rights the follow June . The movie is scheduled to have its universe premiere at the 2018 Los Angeles Film Festival .
Billy Magnussen and John Cho in The Oath
Billy Magnussen and John Cho in The Oath
