As a psychological horror film, Candyman (2021) examines the psyche of a young Black artist named Anthony, highlighting the ways that destiny, trauma, and history impact the core of his being. Through Anthony's investigation and growing connection to the supernatural being, Candyman, the film describes the painful ways that racially-motivated violence against Black people alters the social landscape as a whole, leaving a “stain.” Furthermore, the film addresses oppressive outcomes of this “staining,” including displacement, fear, and mental health struggles, noting intrinsic connections between history and present and fiction and reality.
Trailer:
Screen Shots:
Candyman. Directed by Nia DaCosta, performances by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tony Todd, and Teyonah Parris. Monkeypaw Productions, 2021.
Anthony looks in the mirror, to find he looks identical to the Candyman persona, Sherman Fields. History and the present are blurring, and Anthony is becoming another part of Candyman.
Candyman. Directed by Nia DaCosta, performances by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tony Todd, and Teyonah Parris. Monkeypaw Productions, 2021.
Brianna summons Candyman (after he has acquired Anthony's soul) to attack the police that shot and killed Anthony on sight.
Significance:
Candyman (2021) addresses cultural and social tensions, including Anthony's navigation of two cultures at odds with one another, creating a double-consciousness. Anthony is firmly positioned in the wealthy art world, initiating gentrification, and the world of Black identity and poverty, negatively impacted by this practice of displacement. Additionally, as Candyman is composed of multiple personas of murdered Black men, he is, in essence, a collection of painful memories of oppression and violence. This exemplifies how violent events become a part of cultural memory, breeding vulnerability and fear, haunting the landscape. Therefore, the film suggests that, rather than ignore these excruciating histories, we must instead engage, practicing active citizenship and initiating societal change in order to stop the cycle of violence.
Discussion Questions:
1. At the end of the film, Candyman's face is covered with bees, hiding any facial features. Based on background information about the film, why might this covering be important? Why bees?
2. Sometimes Candyman is summoned to enact justice, like when Brianna summons him to free her at the end of the film. Other times, he kills those who summon him, like the girls in the bathroom. Why might this be? How might Candyman make this differentiation?
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