The main lyrics for Boots Riley’s song The Guillotine are “We got the guillotine / We got the guillotine, you better run”, an obvious reference to the French Revolution. The radical attitude of the song is reflected in his first movie called Sorry to Bother You. This funny political satire about the perils of capitalism is the story of Cassius Green, a man desperate for a job so he can move out of his uncle’s garage. Cassius becomes a very successful telemarketer when he starts using his “white voice” to make sales calls. The money making voice isn’t simply a nasally stereotypical Caucasian whine, but encompasses the sound of carefree success that customers find attractive. The tension increases and the plot becomes more surreal as the film proceeds. One example of the absurd atmosphere is a show where contestants get beaten to hell and crawl through actual shit for fame.
Cassius’ sudden promotion presents him with numerous moral challenges. It also starts to alienate him from his girlfriend Detroit, played by Tessa Thompson who was the tough Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok.
Give this indie movie a try if you can find it in limited release, even though the ending was not completely successful.