They Live

They Live
by John Carpenter (1988)

An unemployed worker finds a strange pair of sunglasses. When he wears them, he discovers that the world is dominated by extraterrestrials and subliminal messages.

Quote.

“Our human nature has been overwhelmed by the existing institutions; we believe we are rich while we have fallen into the abyss of aridity and misery, depriving ourselves of any aspiration, expression, and human value. These artifices keep us in a state of elevated banality, preventing us from seeing the degradation with which we have crushed the mystery of God within us. And if we continue to vegetate in cowardice, blindness, and muteness, it will be the end. They have taken over the Earth and will maneuver us undisturbed until we discover them, and when they have annihilated us, they will use the sludge of our matter to fertilize their gardens.”

They live, we sleep.

There is a colorful world and a black-and-white one. The first can be seen by anyone, every day. It is vivid, overflowing with advertising messages, consumer goods, and constant pushes towards well-being. It is the world where anything is possible, where anyone can realize themselves and become someone if they accept the rules and live according to the patterns that underlie society. The second, however, has no colors, and only a few can see it. It is dominated by a cold black and white, almost monochromatic. A context in which reality is frightening and unsettling. A place where subliminal messages are at the forefront and aliens, mixed among humans, appear in their true forms. An inverted and terrifying world, with no hope for mankind. John Nada just needs to wear a pair of sunglasses to see it.

Considerations.

John Carpenter adapts a story by Ray Nelson, Eight O’Clock in the Morning, and creates this fascinating hybrid, teetering between horror and sci-fi. They Live is a true nightmare filtered through the dark lenses of a pair of sunglasses. The film’s message is clear: they (the aliens) control and manipulate us through advertising and the media. They do this by blending in among us, in human form, with subliminal messages urging obedience, procreation, production, and consumption.

The picture that emerges is as disheartening as it is concerning. Carpenter shows us a humanity that proceeds, unaware, toward an apocalyptic future, in which the idea of freedom of choice is just an illusion created by external forces that guide it toward predetermined behaviors. In this film, there is a fierce critique of consumerism, seen as something that distances humanity from its true essence. The need to possess goods ultimately becomes a way to fill one’s life with insignificant objects promoted by advertising. And then, in the face of all this, the protagonist’s struggle and resistance take on the meaning of wanting to assert, at all costs, the importance of one’s awareness, avoiding passively accepting what is imposed. The vision offered by the sunglasses represents an invitation to look beyond appearances and question the reality that surrounds us. It is a call to seek the truth, even if it may be uncomfortable.

If the message of this film remains powerful and very relevant even over the years, what perhaps convinces a bit less is the acting, which generally appears a bit too caricatured. But, given the importance that the film has managed to earn over time, becoming a true cult, one is willing to be indulgent.

Conclusions.

They Live is appreciated not only for its social message but also for the action, comedy, and typical Carpenter aesthetic. It is a classic that continues to influence pop culture and provoke reflections on the perception of reality. In summary, the film is a powerful allegory about contemporary society, inviting greater awareness and critical reflection on our values and behaviors.