I’m going to need people who make movies to stop referencing Get Out unless it is actually similar to Get Out. Midsommar never referenced Get Out, but it could have since it shared elements of a strange conspiratorial community unconcerned with its guests’ consent over their desire to accomplish their twisted goals. Tyrel’s promotions referenced Get Out, but other than a black man being the only black person at a weekend in upstate New York and Caleb Landry Jones appearing in both films and playing odd, off-putting characters, it bears no resemblance to Jordan Peele’s directorial debut. Actually the reference makes it feel more like a let down than you would feel under ordinary circumstances.
I actually was interested in this movie without these promotions. Tyrel stars a black man in a largely white setting so I wanted to see the movie. If it had been playing at a theater near me, I would have paid to see it and showed support for a black leading man, but although I knew when it premiered, the opportunity never arose. I saw one of the director’s past movies, Nasty Baby, and while it was flawed, it was memorable and intriguing so I was hooked. Sebastian Silva seemed to have a twisted, but ultimately sweet vision of community. Another draw is that it is the last film that Reg E. Cathey appears in.
I probably should have run screaming based on Tyrel’s premise: going away for the weekend to a cabin. The promotions do not mention that the cabin isn’t fully renovated and ready for guests which makes it more of a nope for me. I don’t like going anywhere without the guarantee of my own space where I can be alone if necessary and have to depend on others to leave (so if public transportation or cabs are available, it is completely alright). It is a sign of tremendous trust and respect when I give my autonomy, time and company to someone for the weekend. I already think that the protagonist made a mistake by accepting the invitation, but a bunch of guys leads to a promise of drinking and drugs, which is another turn off. The only thing worst than hanging out with a group of people without the opportunity to truly engage in meaningful dialogue and getting to know them is a group of drunk or high people. When white colleagues or friends talk about getting high, I reply, “I am too black to do that even in places where it is legal. They still arrest black people for using pot in states where it is legal, and no one is going to take care of me.” So while it is not a horror movie, it was a horror movie for me, but with lower stakes than most horror movies, just social discomfort and feeling as if it would never end.
Tyrel is not the protagonist’s name, but one of the fellow guests call him that, which isn’t racist per se, but is totally racist because his name is Tyler, and no one else has to deal with name confusion. The whole movie is like that. There is an unspoken tension because you can’t tell if the guys are just jerks (they are) and/or racist (unconscious bias plus power) because these microaggresssions would not happen to Tyler if he were white. When he gets drunk or rough houses like the others, he is admonished or receives a harsher rebuke than the others who spark the shenanigans (I’m looking at Jones’ character who always does the most and would irritate me within the first few minutes after introduction). Tyler works hard to reassure them that he does not mind their social faux pas and is happy to join in, but it takes a lot of effort and numbing with various substances to go along for the ride. Either way the scenario is not innately interesting enough to sustain my interest in watching the group dynamic because without the element of race, I would be completely disinterested in spending any time watching these characters. Drunk or high people would make me check out of any situation with very few exceptions. There was only one mature male character, a gay man, and I didn’t understand why he would want to hang out with these people, which means the movie did not do its job. Unlike Tyler, he pushes back when the conversation gets homophobic, but he is also the caretaker of the group (of grown men).
Tyrel also occurs at the time after November 2016 election, and while everyone is anti-Presidon’t, it is really more of an excuse for frat boy like antics than authentic outrage at the political situation. It is the only moment in the movie that roots it in a specific time or place, but it otherwise does nothing to move the story forward or backwards. It is just another opportunity for the guys to act the fool.
Tyrel is inherently anti-climactic, and this criticism is coming from someone who loves mumblecore films in which nothing much happens. Silva will feature an element that feels as if it will lead to something such as a character reading Lord of the Flies, but it goes nowhere. I don’t necessarily want something dramatic to happen, but I do want to walk away feeling something about the characters, the era, the landscape, anything, but I don’t.
Tyler is someone without a home. He left for the weekend because he is running away from drama there just to end up somewhere even less comfortable and more impersonal. He is looking for somewhere to rest, but has no idea how to do it. The most intriguing scene in Tyrel is when he accepts a neighbor’s casual offer of hospitality, and when you see more of that neighbor’s home life, it explains why the invitation was extended. Nothing happens, but it is tense and emblematic of Tyler’s contribution to social missteps. Sometimes the most racist thing is being primarily defined as a black person when the real story is small, quiet moments like this in which Tyler’s isolation and desire to never stop running away is the real intriguing idea and the jerks obscure the storyline with their obnoxiousness. Silva is so intent on race that he missed the opportunity to explore gender and how many men are unable to form real friendships that explore the intimate problems of their friends’ lives so they are forced to get that intimacy only in their romantic relationships, which is a lot of pressure for one relationship, or reaching out to strangers inappropriately. It would have been more interesting for Tyler to try and reach out and share moments with these guys (include more friends than strangers) then constantly getting shot down for something more superficial. It adds a layer of nuance to bonding more with the dog than the people, which many people can relate to. Silva could have kept the microaggressions, but they weren’t enough to really go anywhere.
Skip Tyrel unless spending the weekend getting drunk with friends and strangers really speaks to your soul. My favorite character was definitely the dog, but I don’t remember the dog’s name in the movie so I’m part of the problem.