What <em>Sorry to Bother You</em> Gets Right About Memes
If a single movie could encapsulate the fever-dream days that we’re living through, it is Sorry to Bother You, the breathtaking debut film from Boots Riley. Set in present-day Oakland, the movie follows the, umm, career trajectory of Cassius Green from bottom-of-the-rung telemarketer to “power caller,” as his friends and lover attempt to organize the shop he’s working in ... and a company that basically enslaves people takes over the world.
If you’ve seen the movie, you know that this plot synopsis tells you nothing about the work. If you haven’t seen the movie, go see it before you read this post because there are spoilers. You’ve been warned. On to the memes.
Sorry to Bother You Is Fizzy, Flawed, and Fascinating
The movie revolves around a picket at the telemarketing company where Green works. Having become a “power caller,” he decides to cross the picket line to reachand lives out the life cycle of a meme within the space of the movie, giving Riley the chance to comment on the politics of the meme. Like every other part of the movie, Riley’s take on the power and meaninglessness of memes is funny, and more real than is comfortable to admit.
