Introduction
The Darkest Minds, an American dystopian film, was released in 2018 and Jennifer Yuh Nelson directed it. It is based on a novel by Alexandra Bracken with the same name. The film tackles a lot of themes such as fear, control, and rebellion in a coming of age scenario. It is set in a grim near-future America where a pandemic has killed a vast majority of children, and the few who survive, gain super-powers.
The film has some striking social metaphors. It is interesting how the movie didn’t do well in the box office. Over the years, it has slowly gained a following among those who appreciated the story of empowerment it tells.
Plot Summary
The movie opens with the audience being told the background of IAAN (Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration) a disease san two parts of America. The disease has 98 {f54682e08c3618ac8ace15bac82455c4079b6e6c7386ece353de6ac5146f3683f} of children, a large majority of the population, killed. For those who survive, an even harsher fate awaits. Like the pandemic, they are feared. The US government decides to suppress their power and capture those who survive in commemoration camps. Here, they are stripped of their control and categorized due to the extent of the super human powers they possess.
Green: Enhanced Intelligence
Blue: Telekinesis
Gold: Electrokinesis (Control of Electricity)
Red: Pyrokinesis (Control of Fire)
Orange: Mind Control and Memory Manipulation
Children classified as Orange or Red are considered the most dangerous and are often executed or placed under extreme high-security control. An example is the protagonist Ruby Daly, who is a 16-year-old girl who comes to realize she is an Orange after Accidentally erasing her parents’ memories of her. In order to survive, she uses her abilities to control a doctor into branding her as Green.
Years later, Ruby is rescued from the camp by Cate, a member of the Children’s League, which is an organization that fought against the government’s treatment of gifted children. However, Ruby soon learns that even the League has own agenda and turns to escape from them where she meets a group of runaway teens. Along the way, she meets Liam, a telekinetic Blue, Chubs a high-intelligence Green and Zu, a mute Gold who commands electricity.
Driven by the hope of finding “East River,” a rumored sanctuary for gifted children, four teens embark on a life-changing and boundless cross-country adventure. Their journey tests friendships, exposes them to betrayal, relentless government pursuit, and Ruby and Liam’s deepening bond blurs the line between friendship and romance. Ruby is encumbered with the weight of remorse for her life as an Orange and the powers Orange gifted her.
The shocking revelation that East River is ruled by Clancy Gray, the son of the U.S. president and fellow Orange, serves Ruby and her friends a big dose of reality and betrayal. Clancy, who masked his true motives under the pretense of “ally,” leans to the dark side and reveals that his plans include brainwashing the gifted and controlling Ruby, depending on his powers of manipulation. In the end, Ruby triumphs over Clancy’s control and regains her will to help her friends escape.
The final act of the film shows the desperate moment Ruby makes the choice of erasing Liam’s memory for his own safety. With this decision, she joins the Children’s League implying a continuation of the control of her life with the aim of being able to fight for the children and a tomorrow where children with special gifts can live for who they truly are and pursue their passions.
Characters and Their Actors
Ruby Daly (played by Amandla Stenberg)
Ruby is a strong yet emotionally fragile lead. Stenberg gives her life strength and sensitivity. Ruby’s transformation from a terrified girl to an unwavering leader guides the film.
Liam Stewart (played by Harris Dickinson)
Liam is the group’s moral compass and a natural leader as well as a love interest. His ability to move objects is somehow matched by his gentle demeanor and fierce loyalty. Dickinson adds to the role’s charm and warmth.
Chubs (played by Skylan Brooks)
A witty and book-smart Green, Chubs adds a lot of the film’s humor and is quite insightful. His skepticism tends to balance out the group’s optimism.
Zu (played by Miya Cech)
Zu is a quiet and traumatized girl with the ability to control electricity. She embodies the emotional cost of oppression. Even though she never speaks, her presence is powerfully felt.
Clancy Gray (played by Patrick Gibson)
Clancy is charismatic and manipulative , making him a chilling counterpart to the protagonists. He is intriguing and terrifying with his mind control powers. Gibson plays him with eerie charm and cold ambition.
Cate (Mandy Moore) and Rob Meadows (Gwendoline Christie)
These adult personas encapsulate conflicting fronts of the rebellion and the governing empire’s hierarchy. Cate’s nurturing impulses along with Rob’s tyrannical intimidation enhances the story-building framework.
Themes and Symbolism
- Fear of the Other
Within the movie’s context, the children with extraordinary abilities represent the different super powered children that exist within our societies. Rather than trying to understand them and caring for the children, those in position of authority will attempt to imprison them. This reaction serves to reinforce issues of racism, xenophobia, and oppression of marginalized groups in society.
- Power and Control
Each of the colored coded powers in the movie represent different facets of human potential. However, the government’s obsession with division of people speaks to the dangers of authoritarianism, oppression, and prolific spying.
- Identity and Acceptance
The themes of self acceptance and acceptance lies in the journey of Ruby, concerned with her acceptance of self and the ability to love and embrace all facets of her life . The movie empowers individuals to understand personal strength and utilize it wisely.
- Sacrifice and Resistance
To keep the system at bay, the young protagonists have to make heart-wrenching decisions to protect one another. Ascribed to the burdens of leadership, Ruby’s last choice to remove Liam’s memories reveals the emotional toll and sacrifices made towards a greater cause.
Direction and Visual Style
Jennifer Yuh Nelson, whose animations have come to life through her directorial debut, uses grandiose beauty shots to complement the striking landscapes. This film’s special effects are visually sharp. The grayscale palette of the camps gives way to warmer tones depicting freedom. The depiction of powers is done creatively, particularly during the action scenes.
Some reviewers criticized the film for rehashing common young adult themes, as well as the slow pacing. Still, Nelson manages the emotional intimacy and vast dystopian tension.
Reception and Legacy
The Darkest Minds was released around the same time as films like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner, and during a time was the public was craving dystopian films. Which may have contributed to the mixed to negative reviews around the film’s formulaic approach to storytelling and lack of world-building. Critics noted the repetitive nature the film shared with aforementioned films, and the lack of originality it presented.
The film performed poorly at the box office and didn’t come close to earning back its production budget. Plans for potential sequels that were hinted at the film’s conclusion are no longer in progress due to the film’s underperformance.
Stenberg’s role as Ruby in the film has received admiration and viewers appreciate the film’s messages about empowerment and resilience, which has helped the film gain popularity.
Conclusion
The performance and its concept are both powerful, the film explores harsh real world issues and the concepts of fear, control, and identity in a visually stunning way. The film still falls prey to many of the issues that stem from previous YA dystopian films, but the heartfelt visuals and Ruby’s journey lend the film the ability to raise important questions about the society that shapes its view of power, and of difference. The Darkest Minds, while flawed, adds to the growing list of resistance narratives focused around youth for fans of the genre.
Watch free movies on Fmovies