[Film Review] The Forever Purge (2021)

I wonder if James DeMonaco realised he was building a horror franchise which will be a vehicle for representing the political, classist and racial tensions in the USA – in the most unsubtle way - back in 2013 with the release of The Purge (2013). 

The Forever Purge (2021) is the 5th in the series written by James DeMonaco and directed by Everardo Gout. It is safe to say my expectations were low. I was under the pretence that it would be money for old rope but I stand corrected. As political tensions, Black Lives Matter, conspiracy theories and the rise in ‘cultish’ behaviour continue to dominate the news and our own personal conversations, this film feels very in the moment. As a Scotswoman living in England, I recognise I am not the best person to comment on the politics and the immigrant experience in the US so there are definitely nuances to this film which I have failed to comment on in this article. 

The plot follows a Mexican couple Adela (Ana de la Reguera) and Juan (Tenoch Huerta) who have recently immigrated to the USA where the New Founding Fathers of America are back in power and have reinstated everyone’s favourite murder holiday The Purge. Adela and Juan team up with Juan’s employers, the Tucker Family, to flee the chaos of the Forever Purge (the purge that won't stop purging) and reach the Mexican Border in refuge. Along the way they fight the usual white supremacist antagonists who claim they are providing the purification America needs by brutally murdering anyone who is not white. 

The Forever Purge does not stray far from the series’ core themes, racism rapidly spreading amongst white people who feel disenfranchised (spoiler alert: they are not) therefore want to eradicate anyone not of their race and the division between the different ways the rich and the poor experience the Purge Night /USA - in a time where we are watching the rich get richer through the exploitation of their staff so they can go to space (🎵Jeffrey, Jeffrey Bezos🎵) this hit a bit too hard on my socialist nose.

What separates each Purge film is their characters. I really loved Adela and Juan and their difference in approach to living the ‘American Dream’. Adela works in a meat factory, she has moved up the ranks quickly, able to provide encouragement to other immigrant workers and she has the trust of her manager. Adela is fully committed to assimilating into the US culture, practicing her English on her break and encouraging Juan to do the same. But he is not as keen. Juan is a bonafide Mexican Cowboy working at the Tucker family ranch where the son, Dylan (Josh Lucas), has a clear dislike for him as Juan proves he is ‘more cowboy’ than him which Dylan’s ego cannot handle leading him to threaten to fire Juan. 

Our white allies are Dylan’s pregnant wife Cassidy (Cassidy Freeman) and sister Harper (Levan Rambin) alongside eventual ally Dylan who starts the film being racist without realising it. He states that different races should “stick to their own'' and pronouncing Juan “Wan” - until their shared goal of getting their families out of the increasingly violent USA and fighting the waves on waves of batshit purgers side by side means he starts to pronounce Juan with the Spanish J sound – growth!

I appreciated the differences in female characterisation represented; Adela who is strong, capable in combat, opinionated, smart and compassionate. We get an explanation of why Adela has the skillsets she possesses – because the film apparently believes the audience will question why a woman can handle a gun. Tellingly, we do not get any explanation of why Juan or Dylan can handle guns and can kick white supremacist ass with ease…

Harper works on the family farm; she can ride a horse, she can use a shotgun no problem, quick thinking and has no fear accompanying her friends into the fight. Cassidy is our more stereotypical female character being the pregnant wife. She cannot use a gun and is the most vulnerable of the group. Where I may have criticised this representation in other films, I will let this go here as Cassidy is balanced by Harper and Adela. 

This has been my favourite Purge film. I appreciated the direction of the plot and the development of the characters fuelled by the situation and their own interpersonal relationships. However, if you are looking for subtle social commentary, this is not it. I will be interested to see what is next for the series as the ending of this film feels pretty catastrophic for the good ol’ US of A but I am invested.

In cinemas now. 

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