“The Interview” contains unexpected social awareness

Lionel Hahn/Abaca Press/MCT

Tessa Chambers, Freelance Writer
January 8, 2015

The Interview, directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and produced by James Franco, immediately became more than just a comedy when North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un declared the film an act of war. This was, of course, simply due to its content and his statement did not really reveal whether or not the movie contained substance worth getting excited over. While it certainly is not an outright commentary on North Korea’s totalitarian state, the movie brings issues to attention while providing humor.

The premise of the production is that Dave Skylark (James Franco) gets an interview with Kim Jong Un (Randall Park) for his talk show through his producer Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen). The film then focuses on the CIA’s task given to Skylark: to assassinate the dictator of North Korea. After traveling to the isolated nation, Dave Skylark is shown around as the country and its leader is glorified. This glorification, such as the grocery store filled with perfect plastic food and Kim Jong Un’s lavish lifestyle, is a large portion of what makes the movie worthwhile. It is a satirical representation of the facade that North Korea tries to portray to its own people and the rest of the world: that they are a flourishing nation.

Skylark’s naivety wore off towards the film’s end, however, and North Korea’s propagandist Sook (Diana Bang) informs him and Rapoport that going the “American way” by killing Kim Jong Un will not work in this case. She talks about how the people of North Korea view him as a god and faultless being. If he is killed, another dictator will take his place. The task then becomes to expose the faults of their leader to the North Korean public.

Wholly, The Interview did what it promises in the comedy genre by providing laughs. However, it does go beyond that, by bringing much needed to attention to an international issue. It accomplished this in an entertaining way that the average American will actually watch. Satire is often times the key in showing just how a ridiculous a situation or idea truly is, and for those who want to see it exercised in a mainstream film, The Interview will provide both laughs and minute awareness.