Devan Young’s Standoff is a jarring but complex film about our current society and the way we treat one another. As the world has imploded around us following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the global uprisings due to killings of unarmed Black people at the hands of police, Young is examining the ways we treat each other daily.
Standoff uses the striking image of guns as the literal depiction of the defense mechanisms we use in our treatment of others. The film follows a young woman named Renee (Weslie Lechner) who tries to navigate her professional, personal, and home lives while guns are consistently aimed toward her head.
She encounters a rude man in the park who uses his gun to prevent her from sharing his park bench. Her boss puts a gun to her back, causing her to question her own work, and when she good to meet her boyfriend, he immediately pulls a gun — questioning her ability to look out for her safety because she’s a woman.
As Young suggests in Standoff, violent words don’t begin in adulthood. One of the most stunning moments in the film occurs when Renee walks past a group of young girls. As they sit play with their Barbies on a picnic blanket, the girls look down at the dolls, referencing eating disorders and the sickening imagery spewed toward women and young girls about their bodies. They also pull a gun out on another young girl who asks to sit with them.
Much of Standoff is shocking to watch, which is Young’s point. He forces us all to look a the interactions we have with others, whether they are strangers and loved ones. However, where Standoff stumbles is the copious amounts of dialogue referencing Harry Potter and the Wizarding World. It was excessive, odd, and took away from the film’s overall message.
Still, as startling and in your face, as Standoff is, it says a lot.