EMERGENCY: FILM REVIEW
Carey Williams’ Emergency lays down a seemingly simple conflict — one that turns complex as soon as racial dynamics are involved. In the 12-minute short, a few college guys prepare for a regular night out. When they enter their house, they see a random white girl passed out on their living room floor. At first, she is presumed to be dead, but then she starts coughing and throwing up. One of the character’s intuitive responses is to call 911. The problem? They’re a house of Black and Latino kids who have no explanation for how a white girl ended up in their house; how would calling the cops compromise their own safety?
Through introducing the audience to three very different characters, Emergency tightly layers subtleties within its plot, which contribute to the existing, tense dynamics. The young men in Emergency are bonded together by their genuine intention to help this girl, but are paralyzed by one thing: fear. One wants to call the cops, one thinks involving the police is a terrible idea, and one sits in the middle of the two. “Where the hell is your alibi?” One student asks another. “Your fingerprints and DNA are already up and down this bitch.” Although none of them did anything wrong, who would believe them? The three characters have to grapple with the psychological trauma of growing up in a society where they are more likely to be found guilty than innocent.
Williams’ ensures that Emergency is also strung with dark humor — an element of the film that gives insight into its characters, as well as amplifies the fact that young people who suddenly find themselves in even the most stressful of situations will still try to make jokes. After sitting around for a while trying to come up with a solution, one of the boys suddenly has a bright idea: call “white Sean,” who can call the cops for them. When white Sean isn’t available, the three boys unsuccessfully rifle through every non-Black or Latino person they know. “We’re 1% of the school! How do we not know any white people?”
The colors and lighting in Emergency meddle in the realm of dark tones, reflecting the mood of its characters. Such tones provide a stark contrast to bright siren lights, as well as spotlights the white girl on the floor. The positioning of the characters in each scene makes the film look like it is staged like a play.
Despite its short run-time and easily understood plot, Emergency doesn’t feel corny or overdone. With every minute, Williams carefully builds conflict, leaving the audience with much to unpack — personalizing racial issues in America through magnifying a situation that anyone could find themselves in.