My wife's grandmother was watching one such movie recently during a visit.

CW: Emotional abuse.

spoiler

It is about some HOA president (yes, that's how the movie describes him over and over, as a full time job) that keeps showing his romantic interest in the leading feeemale character by fining her and citing her for insufficient holiday decorations and other such "why don't you smile more grillman " abusive shit for the first half of the movie.

The rest is other people in the Black Hole Sun music video worthy town passive-aggressively reminding that feeemale character how the HOA president was looking at her while she scoffs and rejects the abuse... until she doesn't. And that's the happy ending.

Scary shit. It's intersectional: providing what the demographic wants and expects and further normalizing and expanding upon it.

  • UlyssesT [he/him]
    ·
    11 months ago

    Is there any conceit given that insufficient holiday decorations is absurd?

    bugs-no

    It really was presented as a "welcome to Christmas heaven town, the burden is on you to fit in" thing where resistance from the outsider was the problem.

    At one point a doctor tells the lead ex marine that it's a shame that Iraq was just about oil, to which our hero pauses, then says I think it's a little more complicated than that. And does not elaborate. MORE COMPLICATED HOW MAN??

    I think at a spiritual level, the most deeply invested Burgerlanders really do see the death and killing and dying as the point in a way that transcends words. Death cult shit.

    • Tiocfaidhcaisarla [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      11 months ago

      That's so bizarre. I had thought that maybe, though still bad, it was a situation of "oh, she's cute, I'll make up a citation to talk to her."

      I mean, it is hallmark, so they need to peddle their bullshit wares, but that's just so blatantly consumerism, and that the message may be taken up by real people is so unsettling.

      You're right about the death cult thing. There's no reason, only "respecting the dead" and any questioning of that is an invitation to join the cult in is fully realized form.

    • BeamBrain [he/him]
      ·
      11 months ago

      It really was presented as a "welcome to Christmas heaven town, the burden is on you to fit in" thing where resistance from the outsider was the problem.

      Holy shit, it's Christmas With The Kranks without the irony