Freaks (2018) versus “normals”: the meaning of the film. The plot of the film Freaks, detailed review, explanation of the ending, meaning, similar films.
Country: USA, Canada
Genre: drama, fantasy
Year of production: 2018
Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
Actors: Lexi Kolker, Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern
Slogan: “They look like us. But they are not us.”
Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein made a really interesting fantasy action film with dramatic overtones. The plot of the film Freaks tells about intolerance towards “Freaks” and about the desperate struggle for freedom.
Plot of the film Freaks
Brief description of the contents of the picture. Young Chloe lives with her father, who categorically forbids her to go outside. But one day a girl looks out the window and sees a tempting and very bright advertisement for ice cream. Chloe stares dreamily at her, but at that moment her frightened father pulls her away from the window: she cannot stand at the window, otherwise they might see her and hurt her very much. Chloe does not expect a solution to what is happening from her father, but she believes him. And she repeats exactly what a mantra is about what she needs to do in the event of force majeure.
The idea of eating ice cream still can’t get out of her head, and one morning she can’t stand it – especially since a neighbor’s girl is standing on the street with a delicious dessert in her hand. Opening the heavy door, Chloe is about to go outside, but her father holds her back. The neighbor girl somehow knows Chloe’s name and this worries the man. He becomes even more tense when a charming young woman, who really liked the young recluse, comes to the threshold of his and Chloe’s house.
He doesn’t want to communicate with his neighbors, and he slams the door right in their faces. The girl is indignant – she is pretty tired of being locked up. To this end, her father promises her a whole mountain of ice cream – as long as she stays at home and doesn’t stick her head out. The next day he goes to the supermarket, but soon returns. He is wounded and scared, and there is no such desired treat in the cart…
After this, Chloe decides it makes sense to go get some ice cream herself. Opening the door, she goes outside and meets the ice cream man. The girl asks the old man if it is really dangerous outside. He reassures her: next to him she has nothing to fear.
He seems to know everything about Chloe and, with a sly squint, advises her to listen less to her father. And then he invites the girl to go with him to the park and she, of course, agrees. At the park, the ice cream man begins to entertain Chloe and casually asks her if she has any superpowers.
Suddenly a policeman approaches them and is about to detain the ice cream man. For some reason the old man asks the girl to drive him away, and she desperately shouts: “Go away, go away, go away!” He suddenly obeys.
In the ice cream truck, Chloe sees a photograph of a beautiful woman – according to the old man, it is her mother and his daughter. The girl asks for a picture and he agrees. At the same time, he gives her a “magic” powder: if Chloe wants to play in the park again, she will need to mix the product into her father’s food, after which he will fall soundly asleep.
Meanwhile, the girl’s father comes to his senses and desperately calls his daughter. Chloe admits that she was on the street and bitterly reproaches him for telling her lies for so long. After this, the father decides to explain to his daughter the meaning of their seclusion. It turns out that she, like him, are “abnormal” people. Because of their superpowers, ordinary people are very afraid of them. Some of the “abnormals” recently left for a certain Mountain, and those who remained are outside the law – they are hunted and eventually destroyed.
However, Chloe continues to clash with her father. At first she tries to give him sleeping pills, but the man notices traces of the powder in time. And then the angry girl manages to suppress his will, and he falls asleep. After this, Chloe takes money from the hiding place and runs outside to her new friend.
The old man says that if she wants, he will take her to her mother. Chloe agrees and soon they arrive at a building, on one of the walls of which there is an eerie inscription “Death to Freaks!” There, Chloe is faced with a cruel reality: in front of her eyes, government agents kill a man, mistaking him for an “abnormal.”
She begins to suspect that there is some hidden meaning in the ice cream man’s actions and that he is not being entirely honest with her. And she also understands that her father, it seems, was right after all…
Chloe forces the old man to take her home, where her father is already waiting for her. The ice cream maker is really his father-in-law, but the men meet in a completely unrelated way. It turns out that the girl’s mother is indeed alive, but is in danger. The father and grandfather begin to argue, but soon realize that they must join forces and save her.
Suddenly a policeman comes to the house – he learned that “abnormal” (“Freaks) live here from that very friendly neighbor who so wanted to get to know the recluses a little earlier. Chloe, seriously angry, takes revenge on the traitor. They then find the girl’s mother and, after dangerous adventures, finally rescue her.
A little later, a government agent comes to their home. A young woman in uniform invites Chloe’s father to give her his daughter – she will raise her and help channel her unique gift in the right direction. She behaves calmly and almost friendly, but the man believes that she cannot be trusted…
Freaks Ending explained
Explanation of the ending of the picture. In the finale, a brawl ensues, during which Chloe’s father and grandfather are injured. After both men are killed, mother and daughter finally meet. The woman tells Chloe that she will protect her from now on. And all they need is to hide well.
Chloe does not agree: she believes that she and her mother have the right to live openly, like “normal” people, because they do not wish harm to anyone. However, the girl is sure that if the government or anyone else tries to stop them, they must and will be able to defend themselves.
The meaning of the ending of Freaks is that Chloe has firmly grasped the lesson life taught her. She also realized what a powerful gift she had. She is braver and in many ways stronger than her parents – she will definitely no longer be afraid and hide.
The meaning of the film Freaks
Since the release of the cult “X-men,” we have received a huge number of films and TV series about people with superpowers, but rejected by society. One of the latest works of this format was the thriller Freaks. In their analysis of the film, many viewers notice that the main thing here is not the action at all, but the human drama in a fantastic setting.
From the very first scenes it becomes clear that something is wrong with the characters in the film. However, they don’t explain anything to us – they only subtly hint, thereby maintaining the intrigue. Almost all of the action in Freaks takes place within the walls of the house where Chloe and her father live. However, thanks to the girl’s amazing abilities, it seems that there are many more locations…
Chloe can create realistic visions and transport real people there, as well as bend other people to her will.
Her father knows how to manipulate time – slowing it down or speeding it up at will.
The drama here is “made” by two characters – a brilliant child and his tormented father. A man desperately trying to protect his daughter looks like a real madman in many scenes. Chloe, no less fiercely resisting overprotection, wants one thing – to live in a full-fledged family. Their conflict is aggravated by the fact that they both have superpowers, but Chloe, due to her young age, does not yet know how to control her gift. However, very soon she begins to understand what’s what – from that moment on, the film ceases to be just a chamber family drama and turns into a dark thriller.
This is especially evident in the ending, which hints at the fact that, in essence, a very child, under the influence of terrible circumstances, becomes perhaps the greatest threat to intolerant humanity. By the way, according to one interpretation, the directors initially conceived a franchise. Unfortunately, the box office for Freaks was very modest, so we will probably never see the development of a female version of Magneto.
Freaks is a really interesting film. It is captivating (in the good sense of the word) because the usual problem is presented here from a different perspective. We see not just superhumans who live in a separate, isolated world, but strong individuals who are ready to fight for their rights. Against this background, the film’s slogan seems very interesting: the words “They look like us. But they are not us” can be considered something of a motto for both “normal” and “Freaks”.
In this regard, a logical question arises: what is the essence of the film? It can be assumed that the picture by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein is another statement on the topic of “not like that” problems. But it is not so. Because young Chloe realized too early that the only way to achieve something like her in our world is through violence. Roughly speaking, the girl has already tasted blood (the reprisal against the neighbor who “surrendered” her and her father to the authorities looks really creepy) and over time she will probably come to the conclusion that the best defense is an attack.
Domestic localizers translated the title of the film very gently; in fact, the word “Freaks” is translated from English as “Freaks”. Society considers “Freaks” to be such, but are the fears of “normal” people really so groundless? In fact, in this film there are no pure “bad” and “good” – there are only “bad” and “bad”. Which of them is worse – only time will tell.
Similar films
Here are several films that are somewhat similar in meaning to the film Freaks:
- “Code 8” (Canada, 2019). The main character of the film, Connor, has superpowers. He meets similar people and joins their gang.
- “Generator of Fire” (USA, 1984). Charlie McGee has the ability to set objects on fire with his gaze. She doesn’t know how to control her power…
- “Chronicle” (USA, 2012). After discovering a fallen meteorite, three teenagers gain superpowers.
- “Cloverfield 10” (USA, 2016). After an alien attack, the surviving earthlings hide in houses and bunkers.
- “Lurking” (USA, 2014). After the end of the world, Ray, Claire and their daughter Zoe live in a bomb shelter. They really want to return to normal life, but monsters live on the surface of the earth…
