Mope 2020

The film kicks off with a poignant quote from the Bible, Nahum 3:6: “I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile and make you a spectacle.” The eye-catching imagery begins with a bloody chimp wandering through a chaotic sitcom set—an element that holds significance later in the tale.

We are introduced to Otis Haywood Sr. and his son Otis Jr., affectionately called OJ, as they tend to the horses at their Hollywood ranch, Haywood’s Hollywood Horses. In the backdrop, a radio tune reports the unsettling disappearance of two hikers. The tranquility is abruptly shattered when the electricity fails, followed by eerie screams from above as debris rains down. Tragically, a coin pierces Otis Sr.’s eye, resulting in a fatal blow that OJ cannot remedy. Returning to the ranch, OJ discovers a disturbing sight—an ominous key lodged into one of their horses.

With the credits rolling, we witness a green square that draws us closer to a precious historical moment: the first moving image featuring a Black man riding a horse. Fast forward six months, OJ finds himself anticipating the arrival of his sister Emerald, also known as Em, on a film set where their prized horse, Lucky, is scheduled for a commercial shoot directed by Antlers Holst. Em reveals a captivating piece of family history—the Black man featured in the first moving picture is their great-great-great grandfather. Unfortunately, the crew disregards their explanations about handling Lucky, resulting in the Haywoods being fired from the shoot as their horse is replaced with a VFX version.

Financial struggles loom over the ranch, prompting the Haywoods to visit Ricky “Jupe” Park, a former child star who now owns a Western-themed amusement park called Jupiter’s Claim. Hoping to sell Lucky, the Haywoods learn that Lucky is the eleventh horse they have sold. During their meeting, Jupe shares a harrowing childhood experience involving a chimp named Gordy, which causes him emotional unrest even as he considers purchasing the ranch.

As night falls, Em recalls her father’s promise to help her train her first horse, Jean Jacket. While tending to the horses, she notices Ghost, another of their horses, behaving strangely in the arena. From this moment onward, the film unfolds in chapters, each themed around different animals, starting with GHOST.

When OJ investigates the arena, he is drawn to mysterious lights and a disembodied voice through the speakers, causing Ghost to panic and flee. Following the strange event, OJ catches sight of a UFO soaring above the ranch. Describing it as enormous and swift to Em, the siblings purchase several cameras the next day, envisioning their rise to fame through captured footage. Angel Torres, a staff member at Fry’s Electronics, offers to assist in setting up the cameras since he suspects their ranch might be a UFO hotspot. During this time, Em decides to use a stolen display horse from Jupiter’s Claim as bait, leading to an unexpected encounter with Jupe, who inquires about their possession.

As night descends upon their plot, CLOVER becomes the next chapter of their odyssey. After setting up the cameras and the decoy horse, OJ discovers that Clover, a horse of theirs, has unexpectedly been released. Caught off guard, he comes across what he thinks are alien figures but quickly realizes they are Jupe’s children playing tricks. An attempted encounter leads to the tragic loss of their decoy horse as the UFO descends, leading to the climactic realization that they have failed to capture the crucial footage they need.

GORDY, the following chapter, takes us back to 1998, where we see a young Jupe in a sitcom scene gone horribly wrong as a chimp becomes increasingly agitated. The chaos culminates in a massacre, an event that continues to haunt Jupe as he prepares for another show at Jupiter’s Claim, where he plans to showcase a UFO encounter.

As the narrative progresses into the LUCKY chapter, OJ finds Jupe’s promotional flyer for an event that hints at the use of Lucky in Jupe’s show. With stealth, the brother and sister duo make plans to rescue their horse. During the event, as the colossal UFO hovers ominously above, Jupe’s intentions become clear as he reveals Lucky in a glass enclosure, intended to fulfill the alien’s appetite in exchange for showmanship. The audience watches in horror as the alien claims its victims, leaving carnage in its wake.

Finally, the group enacts an ingenious plan in the JEAN JACKET chapter, devising a strategy to expose the alien and save their friends. OJ smartly navigates dangerous encounters, using his clever instincts and the support of Em and Angel. The tale crescendos with a thrilling showdown against a perplexing alien entity, culminating in a stunning display of courage and resourcefulness as Em captures a historic image of the predator.

The film concludes as the siblings triumph over adversity, highlighted by a poignant image of OJ mounted on Lucky, both emerging from a shrouded fog. As we behold the photograph of Jean Jacket, spectators are left with a thrilling sense of audacity and wonder at the spectacle that unfolded before them.