Karen is a cringe-worthy thriller of a movie that while uncomfortable to watch, still gets its point across about the world we live in.
The term Karen is slang for an obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her privilege to get her way or police other’s behaviors — and that is exactly what this movie is about. Karen stars Taryn Manning, who is unhappy that a Black couple, Malik (Cory Hardrict) and Imani (Jasmine Burke), have moved in next door to her — and she is willing to do anything to get them to leave the neighborhood. The only thing is, they are not going down without a fight.
Manning does a great job at creating this character that viewers will hate, despite her being a really nice person in real life. She perfectly portrays exactly the type of person that comes to mind when you hear the word Karen. All too often she is saying the meanest things, right to the faces of her neighbors, with a smile.
There is one point where you learn exactly why she feels this way, although the way she is taking it out on Imani and Malik is not all excusable. Hardrict and Burke are also phenomenal in their roles, allowing the audience to feel a little bit about what they are going through. They do a good job of delivering their perseverance, their anger, and their fear.
In the end, this movie gives a powerful message, even though it is a struggle to get through at times. That isn’t to say it is about the writing or directing, it is all about the subject matter. There are moments that are extremely uncomfortable to witness — and many cringe-worthy lines that come out Karen’s mouth that might have you shaking your head in disbelief.
The thing is, these are things that real people deal with on a daily basis, and so it is important to get that out there, and maybe open up — even one person’s — eyes to it. There is a massive thriller aspect to this, and the score helps to deliver that atmosphere. While it is often intense, it is completely captivating. Almost like a train wreck you cannot look away from, even though you are afraid of what you might see.
While there is some not so great dialogue, especially when it comes to the supporting characters, the story itself is interesting enough to keep most audiences waiting until the end to see what happens — which is extremely disturbing. Karen is a hard one to watch, for many reasons, but the lead performances and the message that it tells are what make it important to do so.
About Karen
A racist woman takes it as a personal mission to displace the new Black family that just moved into the neighborhood, and they won’t back down without a fight. The story follows Karen Drexler (Manning), a racist white woman who makes it her personal mission to displace the new Black family that has just moved in next door to her. Community activist Malik (Hardrict) and his wife Imani (Burke) are the couple who have just moved to the Atlanta suburb, but they won’t be backing down without a fight.
Karen stars Taryn Manning, Cory Hardrict, Jasmine Burke, Roger Dorman, and Gregory Alan Williams. Karen was written and directed by Coke Daniels and was inspired by the Karen meme that became a global phenomenon as a calling card representing entitled white women.
Quiver will be releasing the movie Karen in theaters on September 3rd.
