I had the opportunity to see The Gates ahead of its March 13th release date with a mostly Black audience: It was a wild time! The only thing I knew about the film was Mason Gooding and his friends were in the wrong neighborhood. Seeing three Black men in enemy territory, meant the movie could go in a lot of directions, and I was praying it didn’t take the Death Ranch route and tap into Black torture. Luckily my prayers were answered! While racism plays a huge role in the plot, I didn’t have to witness excessive Black pain. The Gates follows three friends on a road trip that goes left after they witness a murder in a gated community. This is a movie worth seeing with a crowd, because it will make you yell at the screen.
While some of the dialogue was on the nose, the plot was interesting. I loved how it wasn’t just presented as a race issue, but it incorporated religion, public presentation, and cults. At first glance, it seems that the trio, Derek (Mason Gooding), Kevin (Algee Smith), and Tyon (Keith Powers) are simply stuck in a gated community. The plot thickens when they witness a murder when they are trying to ask for help. It becomes more complicated once the audience, and the trio, learns that this isn’t a normal gated community. The house where they witnessed the murder belongs to the pastor who founded the community.
Intersection of White and Christian
The film demonstrates how whiteness and Christianity are often intertwined in a way to avoid suspicion and consequences. White supremacy often wears the mask of christianity to get into the hearts of the public and infect their minds. We witness this when the trio begin to make contact with the residents of the community. They can’t process the wrongdoings due to who is committing them. That speaks to the society we, especially Black Americans, live in. Additionally, I like the arc of the pastor’s story, specifically how it ends.
The Late James Van Der Beek With the Gospel
Pastor Jacob (played by the late James Van Der Beek), shows how whiteness works with a combination of gentleness, gas-lighting, and force. Jacob tells the residents that the trio is guilty, although he literally has blood on his hands. He encourages the residents to handle things “the christian way”, which really means “my way”. He lulls his neighbors and the dopey security officer, Bobby (Kylr Coffman), into a false sense of security with his lies, just to turn on them later. Jacob even tries to convince other authority figures to let him go because he’s retreating, although he was caught in the act. That tactic was especially foul , because unarmed Black men and children are shot all the time, even if they did not commit a crime. I appreciate The Gates showing white supremacy in a way that wasn’t just a bunch of slurs and Klan outfits.
The story also taps into the conflict of how Black people move in this society through the characterizations. Derek’s character always tries to play by the rules, because he thinks that protects him. He is also from an affluent neighborhood, which may bolster this belief. His sister seems to be a nurse or in medical school, while he is studying to be a lawyer. Paths that affluent Black people typically take to maintain their status. Derek also never mentions a scholarship, financial aid, or worries about tuition. He has a layer of protection due to class. He swiftly learns that class does not protect you from white supremacy.
Who All Going To Be Here?
Kevin’s character seems to be the polar opposite of Derek who seems like he’s from around the way. He isn’t in college, works at an auto dealership, and he makes choices knowing that there is no protection for him. He seems selfish, but sometimes Black people are pushed into dire situations where they can choose themselves or chance sacrificing their safety to save or support others in the community. I understood some of his choices, but he made me yell at the screen several times.
Tyon’s character is interesting because he seems to be the middle ground between Derek and Kevin. If he has a long history with Derek, it’s likely that they grew up together, which makes me assume that Tyon had some proximity to at least the middle class. He’s a college student, but he needs a scholarship to continue his education. Tyon is accessing a path to upward mobility due to his athletic talents, so there’s more at stake for him. He’s dependent on outside resources, which could be swiftly lost due to an injury.
We see evidence of this when he describes the reason he’s in trouble at school. He is willing to go by the book like Derek, but he’s more open to other routes of safety. Furthermore, his actions are driven by his desire for women. While I didn’t yell at him on the screen, I definitely rolled my eyes at him several times.
Final Word
The Gates is an entertaining thriller if you can ignore some of the dialogue. There is also a studio scene that made me scream internally because not only was it cringe; the scene held me hostage while someone tried and failed at freestyling. I did not sign up for a mid studio session, but the circumstances of the scene were at least funny. Imagine “B’Rad” from Malibu’s Most Wanted holding you hostage until you lay down a track! While that scene was a little silly, there are a lot of tense moments throughout the movie. I recommend The Gates for a good time!
