“What do you think this is? What did you ever think this was gonna be?”
Writer and director Jeff Nichols’ film follows the Vandals motorcycle club (based on the real life Outlaws motorcycle club) from their early days in the 1960s through their drastic evolution in the 1970s. As violence and drugs infiltrate the club, its original members start to question the Vandals’ identity and their place in the evolving organization.
Members of the Vandals are free spirits, priding themselves in their rebellion against the law and discardment of society’s rules and standards. But this search for freedom proves ironic as they ultimately submit to countless rules as a part of the motorcycle club – a source of the club’s division and ultimate downfall. In seeking freedom and belonging, they find themselves captive to a destructive system of their own making. And as the characters learn, there isn’t an easy way out.
The rejection of the law and their eventual entrapment within their own rules mirror a deeper human condition. We all hope for something more, for freedom from the restrictions and trappings of this life, for a belonging that fills the void inside us. But we’ll never find the freedom or belonging we’re looking for apart from Christ, and that comes with a responsibility to serve and to love.
“Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don’t ever become slaves of the Law again. My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.” – Galatians 5:1,13
The film’s haunting final frames hint at this inner longing, relying solely on a wordless gaze from Benny (Austin Butler), whose far-off half-smile communicates a dozen emotions at once. Has he found the life and meaning he was looking for? His wife Kathy (Jodi Comer) certainly seems to think so. But his distant look seems to hint that he’s still searching for a freedom and belonging he’s yet to find.
— Christian Jessup (2024), A Cloudy Picture
Arts & Faith Lists:
2024 Arts & Faith Ecumenical Jury — #7