On one hand, I think Marta ending up on top is strictly a cathartic plot point. Like I don't think it's meant to be a sweeping advocacy for a meritocracy. The movie is mainly about the rich's true disregard for any principle or position once their wealth is on the line (the movie didn't strike me as one looking to make some groundbreaking statement in the first place tbh, so I didn't need it to challenge the very system itself) That said, it might be irresponsible of a movie that focuses so heavily on interclass dynamics to include that ending, though I don't think it hurts the movie too much. Like sometimes you just want a character to get her happy ending and that's ok, you know?

"If only the right people could be rich for once then there'd be no problem" exactly my issue with the movie, it's this individualised liberal blindspot of wanting society to be better without fundamentally challenging its systems. great video

I don't know if it's as clear-cut as you say in terms of "this one self-made rich guy is Good". I think it's an accurate description of the overall vibes, and that absolutely matters, but I think it's still worth noting the *details* of the film aren't as manichean. I think the film has a clear point of view that Harlan is ultimately responsible for his whole family sucking; that he is nice to Marta now, but that this isn't a simple expression of him being a good person, it's an old man rethinking his life in his old age and trying to be better but still failing because instead of fixing things with his *actual* family he tries and get a do-over with a person he can have a blank slate relationship with. And insofar as he does try and "fix things with his actual family" his single best idea is to pull the rug out from under them, do a complete 180° on their relationship up to now and put Marta in a potentially dangerous position in the process. Even if *he* thinks of himself as closer to Marta because they both have common roots, the fact remains that he is the rich guy that Marta is subservient to and that he is the main reason his family don't share those roots that he sees himself as sharing with Marta. And I don't think the film ignores this, even if I agree that a viewer easily could.

I would say that the movie doesn't make Harlan a saint. In fact, it makes a point to say how similar he is to Ransom and how he was playing games that included Marta, who only won because she refused to play it his way

Bro, the parallel between Knives Out and Parasite is genius, and you could’ve mined that alone for two hours. And if you decide do to that, I’ll be watching it, absolutely. I’m subscribing. Thank you for this

I found it interesting that you showed Succession characters when talking about how people respect the self-made man and hate the rich kids, since in Succession Logan the self-made man is the controlling, power-hungry abuser and his kids are his victims

Nice touch with the "If I were a rich man" ending" but I guess I'll just have to disagree with your message. I agree with all that pertains to the problems with iur current system and I can see how one could read the movie this way but I think you have to leave a lot out in order to be able to read it like that. For example you say that she got to being rich due to playing the game better but one of the main themes of the movie with the Go and whatnot is that she refused to play the game and, yes, that is how she got lucky in the end but to me that is more like wishful thinking then a statement about how things should be. There's also the fact that you say she moved up the hierarchy bc she is a perfect person and whatnot but at many times in the movie it is shown that no matter how 'perfect' she is the Thromby's still see her as less, as an 'other'. And although now that I think of it nothing of this really counters your point, I do think reading it lke this is way too cynical and missing the whole point which is exactly about stopping seeing life as a game where there needs to be winners and losers and trying to create a beautiful pattern together, being empathetic and putting doing the right thing above personal gain, which may sound a little to protestant/liberal but it isn't framed in an ingenuous way.

I'm looking forward to your video on Glass Onion. I loved the catharsis of its ending but I don't believe it changes anything within its own world's system by itself If Marta continues as her saintly self, she's going to pay the way for her mother's legalization and then give away whatever she can as fast as she can because at least one set of Thrombey's is stubborn enough to try taking her to court for the rest of her existence, imo

While I agree with your criticism of the fact that the film isn't exactly a scathing condemnation of capitalism, I do perceive Harlan a tad differently. First, part of the reason I think the film gives him leeway is not because he's a self-made man, but because he's a writer. In order to accrue wealth, it is almost a certainty you do so by screwing over and exploiting other people. Except Harlan isn't some Willy Wonka capitalist or Thomas Edison hack, he got lucky by writing murder mysteries. This isn't to say that all rich artists are saints, quite to the contrary, else we wouldn't have folk like Rowling. From the film's perspective at least, it give him slack because he seemingly didn't take from other people to gain his fortune. Additionally, though Harlan is portrayed with much more sympathy compared to the rest of the Thrombeys, he isn't exactly exempt from critique. The family is a mess, and presumably has been for years under his stewardship. He is, to an extent, responsible for the people they have become as their parent. Blanc takes time at the end to point out that if it wasn't for his recklessness, that if he had actually listened to Marta, he may have still been alive. This isn't necessarily meant to be a defense of Knives Out's class politics, merely an alternate interpretation. I don't know if what I wrote quite made sense, but I hope I got the point across. Feel free to disagree with my take. Btw, now that Glass Onion is out, I'm curious as to your thoughts as to the quality and politics of Rian Johnson's sequel.

I literally googled 'Knives Out and classism' yesterday lol

Stumbled upon this video randomly, and I greatly appreciate your analysis and rhetoric while discussing the film(s). Such a great sense of elegance and charge in the execution, keep that drive!

I just watched a few of your videos in a row and I’m astounded by the depth you go into in these videos. As an aspiring writer this has helped me think about my methods and stories. Please keep making videos like this, they’re really good!

this is probably one of the best video essays ive seen in a long time, its succinct its incisive its interesting feel like im getting in early on a rising star gonna try and push this on people now and recommend your channel everywhere

Thank you for examining Parasite. I did not take away that message, I thought it was cynical for the sake of being cynical. It definitely went over my head!

Genuinely the best take on Knives out! Your essays are great! Please keep it up! If you're taking requests I'd like to hear your thoughts on how seven psychopaths fits in to Martin Mc Donaghs's body of work. I watched his four movies this month and all of them fit and made sense to me with overarching themes but seven psychopaths left me feeling dumb, like I didn't get it. Anyway loving the vids mate!

I agree that Knives Out does nothing to remove the system of hierarchy. That’s an interesting take and worth saying. However, going back to your original premise, I think you might overstate how “perfect” Harlan is in the movie. Harlan is sympathetic, sure, because he likes Marta and treats her well, but he is far from perfect. It’s largely his fault that his kids turned out the way they did, and he regrets that. It’s partly his fault that his grandson hated him enough to kill him. He was not just rich, but to many people, he was also a rich a**, self-absorbed and conceited, always believing he was the smartest person in the room. His only friend is his nurse because he has no friends. And far from being level-headed, it was his reckless impulsivity that caused his own death. Everything that is wrong about him as a person are all the reasons he dies and does so with many regrets. He might have died on his terms, but looking back at his life, ultimately it was a tragedy of wasted potential. He might have tried to do something right, facing that all in the end, but that does not a solidly good person make. I think while the movie isn’t perfect, it also shows the consequences of those flaws at a personal level, if not societal.

Banger alert indeed Mr Tim

I love this film, and enjoyed Glass Onion. It just didn't sit right with me that a rich Hollywood Producers/Writers/Director are shitting on the rich. They're criticizing the very class they come from, with surface level observations, no real solutions being offered, or actions being taken, but they're getting pats on the back for their messaging when it's so basic! Spoiled rich people bad and are not inherently better than the average individual. WOW 😯

I know this is a little old now (at least in internet terms), but after watching a couple of your videos, your channel is now one of my absolute favorites. I literally had an “ah-ha!” moment when you finally explained how Knives Out is pro-capitalism. This is brilliant. Please keep making videos!!

I think you will like the alternative interpretation of the movie, where Marta isn't a saint and in fact the real Moriarty behind Harlan's death, deceiving, manipulating everything until she steals the whole fortune from the rich family. Watch the movie again doing the real detective work that Blanc could not, assuming that Marta could have intentionally caused Harlan to die, knowing she would inherit the whole fortune, and trying to figure out how she did it.

I really liked this video, great work! I literally was thinking about the alt right playbook video right when you brought it up

Great video essay! I couldn't have hoped to see a better essay after watching knives out and enjoying it but feeling unsatisfied about the class dynamics.

I really enjoyed this movie, and still do. It's a fun watch with some good laughs, and who doesn't love Daniel Craig as Benoit? Your criticisms are salient, and excellently spotted. I've loved Parasite since I saw it, and I can definitely see that perspective. Well done! Very solid body of work you have on this KZfaq channel, just discovered you through your breaking bad videos, and I'm impressed. Easily earned a loyal subscriber

Another episode of the single greatest work of parody ever made.

As much as I agree with this video essay- you make a very good point about the way that making Marta so unflawed results in the message being all kinds of messed up- but I do think that these flaws were properly addressed in Glass Onion. Maybe not to the extent I would have liked, but it's successful in criticizing meritocracies nonetheless. In Glass Onion, almost all the characters seem to come from middle or upper middle class backgrounds. They technically got to the top through hard work, and that means they're good people, right? Well, obviously not. They're all terrible. Even the one you're meant to root for, Andi, has done some shitty stuff in the name of wealth/power. This is especially true in the case of Miles, who is viewed by literally everyone as a genius- he made absolute bank, so he's gotta be super smart. Only he's a fucking moron. And the biggest reason behind his success is the illusion of meritocracy being a good system. People keep comparing Miles to Elon Musk, and that's completely valid, but I think that there's a huge (intentional) difference, and that's the idea that Miles got money through "hard work". So yeah, standing alone, Knives Out fumbles quite a bit. But when paired with Glass Onion, I think that it works well as a takedown on wealthy people as a whole, not just people who were born with wealth. (Also, I feel like I should admit that I didn't watch all of the video. I skipped over the part about Parasite, because I haven't seen it yet and I didn't want to spoil it for myself.)

Honestly while i watched the movie it just wasn't too interesting for me??? Like sure, good production quality, acting, set design, super good. maybe it was also because i already knew who the villain was but i just didnt really see any reason to memorize it beyond "Villain uses non apple bc apple doesnt let villains use their stuff"

Great video! Out of curiosity, what did you think of Glass Onion?

The billionaire selflessly leaves everything to his long suffering servant and commits suicide to save her from possible culpability in his murder? Harlan is easily the least believable billionaire since Batman.

Excellent essay!

dude you are awesome, i hope you get rich by making video essays!!

Fantastic video !!

Do a follow up on Glass Onion, they sorta fixed the themes?

Hey this was great hope you make more videos soon

I’mma be honest, I get the concept, and I get what your saying generally, but like this idea that the poor must stay poor and that it’s nearly impossible to move up, and can only be done through luck has always felt weird to me. Because like my grandparents were pretty poor, they were immigrants. But they found work and worked hard and they started to have a better life. Both my parents are smart and worked hard and found good jobs because of it. They gave me the opportunity to to do the same. Because of their and their parents work, I can go to college like my parents, and get a good job. So it just feels weird that people say you can’t move up, cuz my ancestors just worked hard and did exactly that. They moved up. Cool video though. Very well put together.

11:03 goes so hard

I read somewhere that Knives Out and Glass onion are like millionaire rich writer kid's rebellion against billionaire studio head.

you should do a video on Glass Onion and compare its take to what Knives Out was saying.

great video. you should make more !

WE WANT MORE VIDEOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this one is pretty cool :)

Great video !!

nice

this video is very good.

I absolutely love your videos 🎉

thank you for another amazing video

No one should be poor. :( And everyone has gifts that if nurtured can flourish. All "merit" really is, is another name for power.

banger

Does Rian Johnson really know that his protagonists need to have flaws? Really?

This Chanel is perfect as i am talking to an elon stan/neo lib and givethem videos to watch

I see what you are, and I’m that too. Great video

Umm, it was originally assumed that Harlan committed suicide, and he was not found dead at the family gathering, he was found dead the next morning. Ransom is Harlan’s grandson, not his son. There wasn’t “good” and “bad” medicine in the bag - there’s morphine which is to be administered in tiny doses (and which Harlan refers to as “the good stuff” because it gives him a little high along with the pain relief) and another medicine that’s supposed to be administered in larger doses. So when she sees the switched label on the bottle of harmless medicine she assumes that she has given Harlan an overdose of morphine. And Harlan is portrayed as charming, but as a charming asshole. He’s not kind and wonderful, he’s a jerk, who has realized at nearly the end of his life that he is a jerk and that his only friend is a paid healthcare worker, and that he has really screwed up his kids, and now that their so screwed up giving them huge wealth will only make them worse. Starting your essay with a “synopsis” that gets the basic facts of the plot wrong sets me up to assume that you barely paid attention to the movie you’re reviewing. I agree with many of your other points, about the terrible undeserving rich kids and the angelic poor person who actually “deserved” the money, but the intro really undermined your credibility. If I hadn’t just watched your breaking bad video, I probably would not have stuck around to the end.

this video was very late stage capitalism, colonialism, gender spectrum, material analysis, post-colonial- neo marxist capitalist, toxic masculinty, moral relativist

Dam man Couldn't agree more with every point 👏

Make more videos please.

I have mixed feelings on this read. There are a few things that kind of make my view differ. The first is that, as much as is possible under neoliberal capitalism, Harlan has earnt his wealth. He got wealthy by writing books that people loved. If you align with my anarchist sympathies, then you may think that intellectual property shouldnt exist, and the ability of Harlan to become so rich is by constraining the creative expression of those who would build on his work, by maintaining an unjustified monopoly on his creative expression. That being said, this is a much much subtler form of explotation that that pf amazon workers, and I think that's intended. Harlans son, Walt, is a more conventional exploiter. He oversees the publishing company, making money off of someone elses creativity, and the administratative labour of those he oversees. This practice is widely condemned by Harlan and the film. Martha on the other hand labours, both physically and emotionally, for her pay. The text of the film unambiguously decrees that is is labour and creative expression that is justly rewarded, and not management, ownership and managerial oversight. While it doesnt critique the existance of a hierarchy, it does consider the MEANS by which social and economic capital can be justly accrued. I'm literally a communist, but if people gained wealth in proportion to their labour and social/ethical contributions....I think Im fine with that. I dont think the film says that Martha should have one hundred thousand times the wealth of a MacDonalds worker who also happens to be a bit of a dick. I think it uses the wealth within the the Thromby family to show the just ratio's of how wealth should be distributed. Martha shouldnt have a hundred thousand more than that asshole MacDonalds worker, but she should have a hundred thousand more than most of the Thrombys. Not to say that I think anyone should bw impoversished, but that the bourgeoisie should be so disenfranchised economically that they cease to exist as a class, and can start actually contributing and being rewarded in proportion to their contributions (and be shaped into better people for it).

Why feel the need to defend Rian Johnson? You don't know him

You shavedddddd

I can't help but agree with this video, but still feel that it misses how these movies are less about a systemic critique and more emotive wish fulfillment. The joy of a murder mystery is that you know that justice will be served. Rian Johnson identified that a primary hunger for justice in the modern world is related to rich bullshit artists and the things wealth allows us to get away with, and wrapped a murder mystery around that. I think people came along and saw it as anti-capitalist but that was a always a reach. It's anti assholes, and about how the power and prestige of many but not (in Johnsons view) all rich people is wrapped around lies. Murder mysteries, being all about the uncovering of a truth, are not meant to untangle the larger lie of capitalism, but rather the lies that these characters have spun about their wealth and what it means about them as people. Rian Johnson is a famous director worth 275 million dollars, far more than Harlan. Lets not kid ourselves, I love the guy but he *is* Harlan, and is part of the hierarchy. I don't think he is anti capitalist per se, he is anti bullshit. Benoit Blanc is not a force for justice in an absolute sense, he is a force for truth, a point which is driven home in Glass Onions ending. I think knives out absolutely believes Harlan deserves his millions, and I think Rian Johnson thinks that he deserves his. That to me is just the text, and not a mistake by Rian Johnson. He isn't anti rich people, he is anti bullshit which supports the lies rich people tell to prop up their wealth without substance behind it. In short I agree with your politics but I don't think Rian Johnson does, and I don't think he made the movie like this by accident.

Precisely my problems with knives out. 1.Capitalism isn't the problem 2. if only the right people were rich. It feels so cheesy and fake. Just like Martha herself. I find her way too likable to actually be likable . Thank you for the video

Mmmm yes she gets the money bc she deserves it mmmmmm yes were so progressive and not literally just repackaging the exact way of thinking we alr have mmm

Parasite doesn't talk about race coded as English language privilege and white western proximity rampant but uncriticized in asia among asians. Otherwise nice review.

I disagree with the notion that if you are rich enough to put a dent in world hunger, every moment you spend not working at it will put more blood on your hands. It isn’t rich people’s job to fix the world, as much as that sucks to say. Also that’s completely ignoring the fact that “putting a dent in world hunger” is such a blanket statement and is 100x harder than anyone who says something like that thinks it is.