The Suicide Squad – Why Rats Are Special
WouterWhile rats are known to be a pest, some people actually choose to keep them as pets. Others see them as incredibly powerful creatures. The protagonist in the movie The Suicide Squad, Cleo, learns from her father that rats are special and she can control them with a gadget. However, this is not always the case.
Cleo’s father was a drug addict and her father was homeless. Her father taught her to speak rats, as he once lived with the animals. As a child, her father used them as a safe haven, and she grew to love them. Sadly, her father died of an overdose.
While the film’s violent tone and gratuitous death make the film fun to watch, it’s worth noting that the film also has an incredibly emotional core. The role of the Ratcatcher is particularly important. Melchior anchors the film’s emotional undercurrents with a compelling performance. Without his performance, the film would have fallen flat.
The Suicide Squad asks viewers to think about their own views on animals. It isn’t always necessary to judge an animal on the basis of its behavior, but the alternative is often worse. James Gunn also gives one of the most slapstick satires in the film, the Weasel. This human-animal hybrid spits seawater into the sand and then scampers into the forest. While it might not have killed twenty-seven children, his performance is hilarious nonetheless. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can catch it on HBO Max and in theaters.
