Karens have become a ubiquitous stereotype on social media, denoting snobby white women who enjoy looking down upon people of color. Whether they call the police on them or simply spew racial insults, Karens are quickly becoming an easily identifiable stereotype.
A new movie, entitled the title, attempts to take this term and poke fun at it. While it’s an insensitive mockery that borders on parody, the film also does a fantastic job of conveying its point.
The Movie
Karen culture has seen a meteoric rise in popularity over the last several years. It’s an umbrella term for middle-aged white women who feel entitled and overly demanding of their partners, and has also gained steam on Black Twitter where people use it to call out viral racism.
As a social justice advocate, I’ve witnessed Karen take advantage of her position to vent repressed rage onto others – often in racist and abusive ways. This behavior stems from Karen feeling unable to make sense of her situation in patriarchal society; thus she uses her power to exert an excessive amount of control over others in an effort to find closure for herself.
Unfortunately, this type of behavior is often motivated not by a desire to protect herself or her children but instead stems from an absence of self-worth. She values status markers like wealth and privilege in order to maintain her position at the top of society without actually caring about anyone else around her.
Taryn Manning’s upcoming horror movie Karen remakes this archetype as an overly assertive white woman who takes up residence in a new neighborhood and attempts to evict a Black couple from their home. Daniels treats her character in a semi-comic manner that is never particularly humorous, and the film doesn’t particularly offer anything dark or edgy either.
Karen has some surprising moments in its trailer, yet these are more than offset by its overall lack of depth. The focus is primarily on Manning’s troublesome neighbour Karen and her new neighbors Malik (Cory Hardrict) and Imani (Jasmine Burke), who recently moved into their neighborhood as the first Black family.
Karen may be a racist, but the filmmakers and characters have done an inadequate job of depicting her with nuance. It’s easy to see why this film has received so much backlash online; its trailer plays on stereotypical assumptions and sexism without creating any genuine tension.
The Characters
When Imani (Jasmine Burke) and Malik (Cory Hardrict) purchase their first home in a predominantly White suburb, Karen (Taryn Manning) becomes increasingly hostile towards them. She installs surveillance cameras that directly point at their house, threatens to evict them for belonging to the homeowners association, castigates Malik for smoking marijuana, and keeps Neo-Confederate memorabilia at her residence. Furthermore, Officer Wind (Roger Dorman), an anti-Black police officer with a record of violent attacks against Black people, joins her sister in her campaign to terrorize the couple.
Malik and Imani resist her attempts at intimidation, but tensions escalate when Mike, the neighborhood’s police chief, arrives with a falsified search warrant to arrest Malik for marijuana possession after he refused to identify himself. Later that same day, Imani calls Charles Wright – a detective known for being tough – about her husband’s arrest but discovers there had never been any charges brought against him.
Police ultimately release Malik after video footage of Karen’s call to Mike surfaces. However, Imani is determined to protect her husband from further harassment, even though she’s seen Malik smoking marijuana and knows that she cannot defend him against his racist neighbors.
Karen attempts to frame Malik for marijuana possession by having him drive home without drugs in his car and planting a bag of the substance in its trunk. Additionally, Karen calls Mike and accuses him of racism before threatening to murder him if he ever double-crosses her again in the field.
Karen continues her campaign of terrorizing Malik and Imani by getting in contact with Malik’s girlfriend and discovering she is pregnant with Malik’s child. When Imani confronts Karen about this development, Karen states her displeasure at Malik’s pregnancy, vowing to make things difficult for her if necessary.
Karen is an important film that exposes the racism and control some White women will go to in order to maintain their superiority and power over others. If made well, Karen could serve as a major catalyst for social change.
The Plot
Karen follows two Black families as they settle into an upscale Atlanta neighborhood. When they meet their next-door neighbor Karen Drexler (Taryn Manning), their lives take a radical turn.
Karen and her brother Mike are both deeply prejudiced, proudly displaying Neo-Confederate memorabilia in their house and believing that anyone who looks black should be “treated as a criminal.” Additionally, they have recruited their brother’s police patrolman to aid in brutalizing and harassing black people. Karen also makes offensive racial comments both at home and at the local homeowners association.
At a housewarming party for Imani and Malik, Karen arrives early and makes several offensive comments to both Imani and her guests. Additionally, she pushes over their trash can while making emotional calls to police for assistance – leading to them being arrested with blood spitting out all over.
Although Karen’s character isn’t always painted in a positive light, this movie gives viewers an insightful look into her life and how she came to be who she is today. It can be difficult to watch at times, with many uncomfortable moments; however, it also illustrates how Karen dealt with racism throughout her life and found ways to cope.
This movie serves as an excellent illustration of how Karen culture has been represented in films and television over time, from documentaries about Karen to S’gaw language feature films. Karen culture is often present in both types of productions about Burma.
Exiled Karen groups often create films to reach an international audience, sometimes made in English. These documentaries aim to raise awareness about Karen suffering and promote political reform within the country.
Families should take this chance to discuss how racial stereotypes in movies and shows can be damaging. This is especially pertinent for children, who are particularly vulnerable to social media violence and its influences.
The Performances
Karen (Taryn Manning) is a racist White woman who terrorizes her new Black neighbors and forces them out of the neighborhood. Her brother, who serves in law enforcement, is also involved in this scheme.
Taryn Manning is an impressive actress in this film. In her performance as Karen, she conveys a great deal of anger and frustration through lines that demonstrate her character’s desperation. Taryn uses both her voice to express herself emotionally and her body language to engage the audience with clarity.
Cory Hardrict and Jasmine Burke, playing Imani and Malik – two people living next door to Karen – gave excellent performances as well.
Their interactions with Karen were captivating and entertaining. Additionally, it was interesting to observe that they used traditional Karen costumes and songs in this movie.
Furthermore, it was admirable to witness Karen’s mother Agnes (Jasmine Burke) trying to assist her daughter with her issues. She expressed that she was deeply worried about Karen’s anorexic tendencies and hoped that she would eventually feel better and healthier.
Karen Carpenter’s father Richard Carpenter (Richard Carpenter) often appeared to be supportive of her. He showed great affection towards her and often encouraged her to excel beyond what her sister could achieve.
The other members of the family, especially grandmother Agnes, gave an excellent performance as well. They demonstrated how much they cared about Karen and showed her they had their hearts in it.
There were several scenes that were particularly funny and captivating to observe, especially the confrontation between Karen and her mother. It was an intensely powerful scene to witness, leaving viewers feeling deeply moved by its impact.
Some of the other scenes were intense and shocking to witness, such as Karen killing her brother. The actors in this movie gave an excellent performance and brought out the best in Karen.
This is an uplifting film that will surely move viewers’ hearts. It challenges viewers to reflect on their own beliefs and values, while giving them insight into Karen culture as it has been affected by colonialism and other external factors. This makes for a compelling watch!
