American Carnage

Zero tolerance! That is the stated motto of cynical governor Harper Finn, who has made himself head of a US state with a lot of money and even more reactionary slogans. Shortly before the election, Finn orders the children of all illegal immigrants in the country to be arrested. However, some young people are offered a deal: if they voluntarily take part in a work program in a retirement home, the charges will be dropped. However, the facility under the leadership of the dubious Dr. Eddie proves to be anything but a caring “retirement home” for the young people (including Jenna Ortega, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Jorge Diaz): in fact, the house resembles a prison. And something is very wrong with the elderly “inmates”... “Only a discarded foreigner is a good foreigner” is known to be an unofficial motto of the Republican Party in the USA. Whether it's Trump's wall madness, children locked up in cages or the current governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, who packs migrants into buses and sends them to Democratic cities: The list of measures is long. No one has any scruples, no abomination is taboo when it comes to appealing to the base instincts of their own electorate. In this respect, it is not really surprising that “American Carnage” picks up on these developments and processes them on film. More specifically, director and co-writer Diego Hallivis - like so many of his colleagues in recent years - uses the possibilities of the horror genre to describe a horror that is part of everyday life for many people in the USA. Diego and his brother Julio, who co-wrote the screenplay with him, take a humorous approach. Comparisons with Jordan Peele's “Get Out” are inevitable. [...] The audience soon realizes, along with the involuntary volunteers, that something is wrong in this retirement home. But what exactly is going on remains hidden for a long time and only very few people are likely to guess. Even if you guess one twist in advance, there's another one to come.” (Oliver Armknecht, on: filmrezensionen.de)