Emergency (2022)

An expansion of a short film from 2018 scripted by KD Davila and director Carey Williams, Emergency is a comedy thriller that tackles prescient themes of race, as well as successfully interconnecting plenty of laughter throughout its incredibly stressful one hour and forty odd minutes. Primarily set on a college campus, the film surrounds three friends; two of which are about to embark on a legendary night out (we’re told they will be the first two black men to complete such a night out) and the other who seems set on spending the entire night playing computer games. Their plans are thrown into disarray as they return home to prepare for their night out and find a young girl passed out on their floor, the front door having been left open. The film is a story about the decisions made by the protagonists from this point, and perhaps more pertinently, why they are making those decisions. It’s almost the anti-Superbad in some ways, and despite its serious message, it’s frequently very funny. The original argument surrounding the decision to call 911 or not is highly amusing but also fascinating and troublesome; because they aren’t white, they feel the police will immediately assume their guilt. To its credit, at no point does the film actually tell us or show us that the police are racist; it lets the question remain unanswered. Although at the end there is a scene in which it’s possible to interpret the directors views on the subject of police harassment (based on fact or otherwise) the film remains impressively open ended and giving us nothing that proves anything either way. What this means is that the fear that is certainly there for the main characters is real, making the film a whole lot more stressful and effective as a result. And the climax is excellent; unlike the one sided end to the recent Candyman remake that tackled similar issues but in a much less effective way. Emergency leaves its questions hanging, as well as satisfyingly bringing its own story to a conclusion. It’s a terrific comedy thriller that excites, stresses, and tackles important themes in a balanced way, asking the audience important questions but without ramming answers down our throats. 7.7/10