Just saw it on HBO. Thought it was awesome. Some blank space, just so nobody inadvertently sees a spoiler…
I’m having trouble getting my head around the exact nature of the transplant (“the Coagula Project”). They’re basically doing a brain transplant, from old white people, to young black people? The black person’s consciousness is dimly buried (they’re stuck in the Sunken Living Room, or whatever…) and the white person’s is in control? (This was explained by Stephen Root’s character, but I guess I’m not following)
If I’ve got that right, why does it seem like the people who’ve gone through the procedure are zombies? They don’t seem to be enjoying their white brain/black body existence.
They never explained the silent bingo game – was it an auction, won by Stephen Root?
The protagonist Chris’s former acquaintance “Logan”/Andre whom he met at the party wearing old-white-guy clothes seemed to be enjoying himself, for one.
The two “coagulated” characters we see most often in the film, namely the couple who are actually the girlfriend Rose’s grandparents “Walter” and “Georgina”, are putting on an act for Chris as inconspicuous family servants. They’re not supposed to look like they’re kicking back and enjoying life.
I’m sure that in “normal” circumstances, when there weren’t any houseguests being lured in for the zombie-sacrifice, the “grandparents” were in fact having a fine time enjoying “their” new bodies in their family household.
It’s clear from various incidents that the “sunken” consciousness of the victim can still be struggling against its parasite. The victim’s consciousness doesn’t manage to actually take over without the light-shining-in-the-eye stimulus, but it can make the behavior of the parasite seem vaguely “creepy”, as with “Georgina”'s tearful “no, no, no” to Chris.
Yup, an updated version of a plain old slave auction. New zombie goes to highest bidder.