Nope: A Culture of Spectacular Tragedy

Nope begins with a blank screen and the words of Nahum 6:3:

“I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle.”

The verse, like many others, makes a strong impression when taken out of context. Whatever we are about to witness will be a horrifying spectacle. Those familiar with the book of Nahum know that the recipient of this macabre mandate is the city of Nineveh. This Nineveh is the city where another prophet named Jonah was told to bring the wrath of God for the great evil they had adopted. Yet, in the case of Jonah, the city of Nineveh repented and begged God for mercy which He, in turn, gave freely. However, Jonah, filled with animosity towards the city, chose to sit at a distance, “...till he should see what would become of the city.” Jonah’s greatest wish at this moment was to see the spectacle of Nineveh’s destruction. Though inspired by many different emotions, this could remind one of Lot’s wife, looking back to see the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, only to be turned into a pillar of salt for glancing at what God had deemed forbidden.

We have always been and will continue to be tempted by the forbidden fruit. Our broken hearts yearn to witness that which lies outside the boundaries of what God made to be good. At times it feels as though we live in a world where the price of tragedy is not amounted to solely in the lives that are affected but in the dollars that are made capturing it. Jordan Peele’s third film goes to great lengths to show us the stubbornness of our evil hearts that seek after what is forbidden in an effort to gain money, notoriety, or even just the thrill of the chase. 

Nope, follows the Haywoods, a family of Hollywood horse wranglers whose genes tie all the way back to the first man ever to be seen on camera. As Emerald “Em” Haywood (played by a vivacious Keke Palmer) puts it, “Since the moments, pictures could move, we had skin in the game.” However, after the untimely death of the Haywood’s patriarch (a delightful as ever Keith David), the eldest son OJ Haywood (Peele’s muse Daniel Kaluuya), must keep the business alive in the ever-evolving movie business, even if that means selling some of the horses to their neighbor and former child actor Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park (played with a sense of mystery as only Steven Yeun can). Jupe owns a small town amusement park that makes most of its money from him giving tours of his old television memorabilia. The most valuable of which is his room dedicated to Gordy’s Home, a popular sitcom he starred in that ended abruptly due to a freak and disturbing outbreak from the show’s star, a Chimpanzee named Gordy. The area in which Jupe and the Haywoods reside is also shared by an unknown entity that OJ soon discovers is not there to be friends. This sends the Haywoods on a mission to get footage of this entity in order to sell the evidence for money and keep their family ranch.

Waiting

Once OJ discovers this unknown creature that is haunting their farm, the first thing he and his sister do is pack their bags and get as far away as possible.

Wrong.

The first thing they do is go to an electronics store and buy camera equipment to get footage of whatever is taking their horses. While it’s understandable for us to see that and immediately question the absurdity of that action, we have to ask ourselves if we would do the same. Consider Jonah, who built himself a booth and waited for destruction rather than leaving the place that issued such a tumultuous journey and brought him nothing but anger. He couldn’t resist the idea that God may change his mind and decimate the city of Nineveh. Perhaps we are prone to do the same in our families, churches, workplaces, or wherever else there might be people who have hurt us. After having faced our own trials and tribulations, we wish it upon others, even if just for the sole purpose of making ourselves feel better for a moment. 

Nope forces us to consider this part of ourselves, the part that looks at the opportunity for mercy and instead chooses to indulge the potential for destruction.

Looking Back

The idea of seeing things we shouldn’t is a central theme that continuously appears in Nope. A significant plot point is revealed when it becomes apparent that the mysterious entity only attacks when eyes are laid on it. Like Lot’s wife in Genesis, our desires are often so strong that we will do anything just to get a taste, even if it means our downfall. It’s worth taking time to examine our hearts, considering whether there may be things in our life that God is calling us to let go of, yet we continue to clutch on tighter than ever. Why? Because we live in a fallen world where the promise of God’s mercy can seem to pale in comparison to the momentary satisfaction of our sinful desires. Perhaps we should take the advice of C.S. Lewis:

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Spectacle

“I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle.” Nahum 6:3

This condemnation of Nineveh is no small declaration. Yet, upon hearing it and understanding the context, there can be a part of us that becomes curious about the extent of the spectacle that is being proclaimed. 

How bad will it be? Will anyone live? What would it look like?

We live in a world rampant with horrific spectacles, yet if you open Twitter for more than five minutes, you’ll find that these spectacles are often on full display. Nope is clearly making a point about our cultural obsession with capturing and profiting off of what is forbidden. The Haywoods, by the end of the film, are not so much terrified by the evil they face as they are determined by the hopes of capturing its essence in a photograph so that they can get paid. Calamity has developed a price tag, and for many, it’s worth the cost. 

In the film’s most chilling scenes, we witness the incident that took place on the set of Gordy’s Home. Yet, Peele chooses not to show us what’s happening fully. Instead, he opts for us to hear the scene play out. As a viewer, I found myself thinking: 

Why isn’t he showing it? Can I see it? How bad is it?

When the film ended, it finally hit me. I’m a part of this narrative. I, like many, am often a slave to the spectacle the world offers. A spectacle that, upon completion, Peele stops to ask: 

Was it worth it?

Hope

When it comes to tragedies, Christ suffered the greatest one ever to take place. He died so that we would no longer have to watch the pain and evil that the world has to offer. We may experience it and unknowingly witness it, but we do not have to linger on it and look back.

So while Peele can expertly interrogate the desires of our culture, using the Haywoods as a mirror to take a deeper look at our own evil ambitions, the love of Jesus gives us the only answer we need. For we can hold firm that Christ endured the greatest tragedy so that we could experience the other world we were made for, no looking back.