Suitable unsubtle, Focus is an underseen gem.
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When people talk about art that was "before it's time" they're usually talking about something ground-breaking that didn't hit with the masses or whose impact was only felt after creators inpired by the art in question began referencing it or using its ideas and techniques. I bring all of this up because today's movie Focus based on an Arthur Miller book from 1945, feels more than a bit relevant to the modern age.
The Setup
The movie centers around Lawrence Newman, a soft-spoken HR manager living in Brooklyn in the final days of WWII. While Newman is generally agreeable a rise in anti-Jewish violence, particularly towards a local shop keeper will force him to either take a stand or fall in line...
I really liked this movie. Which surprised me, not because I expected it to be bad, but because this isn't a movie I've heard a lot about. Which considering the pedigree (an adaptation of Arthur Miller's work featuring named actors in the lead roles) didn't make sense. And I have a guess as to why.
The movie was released in October of 2001. A little over a month after the Sept. 11th attacks. Why would that matter? Because the villains of this movie drape themselves in patriotism and attempt to "other" people based on how they look.
Something Arthur Miller would've been painfully aware of in 1945, was that a lot of Americans had Nazi sympathies. American Nazis held rallies in Madison Square Garden and public sentiment against Germany was middling until stories of German war crimes trickled out into public knowledge. But even after the United States entered the war, there would've been plenty of people who blamed Jewish people for the war and that's the case here.
How does that impact Lawrence? The first is one you might not expect. While Lawrence is not Jewish, he does wear glasses and his last name is Newman. Which makes many of his bigoted neighbors, including a hate group leader played by Meatloaf, treat him as if he's a Jewish man. Which means some folks talk down to him and most of the businesses in town won't hire him.
In my opinion this is a genius way to demonstrate the illogical nature of prejudice and bigotry that parallels to today's culture wars. Because bigots really want to drill people down to visual signifiers that are easy to spot. And if you start looking for indicators everywhere, you'll start finding them. So while Lawrence is told to take off his glasses because they make him look like Jew, almost every female celebrity in the public eye is accused of being a trans woman by right wing nutjobs who can "always tell"
William H. Macy is also perfect casting for this kind of role because his resting face is slight discomfort and he's so good at demonstrating bubbling white guy anger, while also making you wonder if he's actually going to say anything or just stew in it.
How does that impact Lawrence? The first is one you might not expect. While Lawrence is not Jewish, he does wear glasses and his last name is Newman. Which makes many of his bigoted neighbors, including a hate group leader played by Meatloaf, treat him as if he's a Jewish man. Which means some folks talk down to him and most of the businesses in town won't hire him.
In my opinion this is a genius way to demonstrate the illogical nature of prejudice and bigotry that parallels to today's culture wars. Because bigots really want to drill people down to visual signifiers that are easy to spot. And if you start looking for indicators everywhere, you'll start finding them. So while Lawrence is told to take off his glasses because they make him look like Jew, almost every female celebrity in the public eye is accused of being a trans woman by right wing nutjobs who can "always tell"
William H. Macy is also perfect casting for this kind of role because his resting face is slight discomfort and he's so good at demonstrating bubbling white guy anger, while also making you wonder if he's actually going to say anything or just stew in it.
It also helps that the movie looks and feels more modern and like...well a neighborhood where everyone can kinda see what everyone else is doing. So if the fella next door is shouting out slurs, you're actively ignoring or confronting that on a daily basis.
The second, and more important challenge to Lawrence, is morally. Lawrence starts this movie as a bit of a coward. The movie opens with a man assaulting a woman outside his window and sadly Lawrence doesn't do anything. And as the public and economic pressure mounts, he tries to tow the line or avoid conflict, including avoiding a Jewish man's news stand (despite the two being friendly).
Thus the movie is about Lawrence finding his moral line and his courage at the same time. Which the movie unambiguously says, "yes, you'll have to put yourself in harm's way to do what's right sometimes."
That's what really makes it stand out and makes it feel so relevant to today. Because Focus argues that moral courage isn't being tolerant when it's not popular. It's being willing to back up that tolerance, by standing up to bigotry.
That's what really makes it stand out and makes it feel so relevant to today. Because Focus argues that moral courage isn't being tolerant when it's not popular. It's being willing to back up that tolerance, by standing up to bigotry.
The Verdict: Relevant As Ever
Suitable unsubtle, Focus is an underseen gem. 8/10
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