The last time I checked, every species in this world tries its best to ensure one last thing above all: survival. Earth has aged more than a billion years, and throughout this time, life has done its best to survive. It has risen above the brute force of nature and every burning curveball that the universe has thrown. But what if survival is not just about possessing immense strength? What if survival is all about adaptation? Director Aaron and Ali Abdin’s “Darwin” brings forward a thoughtful question for all of us. Before I started watching, I thought that this film might be from the science fiction genre. However, “Darwin” mixes a crucial idea with a thrilling story that takes place in modern times. There are a few places where you might notice that this film struggles to maintain its quality. However, this action thriller slowly makes you realize how important it is to change while there is still time. For me, it was mainly the concept of “Darwin” that kept me hooked till the end.
What Happens in the Film?
“Darwin” starts quite casually, as Tahjma, a young black woman, walks into a party, and catches the attention of two men. One of them is Tory, a high-profile NFL player who has just secured a $300-million contract. As Tahjma takes a sip from her drink, Tory’s friend comes to ask Tajma to join, but she drives him away, which effectively drives Tory closer to Tahjma. The duo starts vibing and understanding Tahjma’s dominance, Tory slowly gives in. Tory kneels on his knees to go down on Tahjma, and that’s where things turn south. A group of masked men, armed with guns, enters the room. They remove Tahjma and rob Tory at gunpoint. Since he is outnumbered by three armed men, Tory has no choice but comply with the instructions. When the robbers reach their hideout, they divide their loot and that’s when you realize what’s really happening. Tajma is associated with these three men: Bam, Canis, and Pop; they all work together as a unit. Tahj charms men at high-profile parties, and lures them, while the other three do the rest. And that’s how they always loot money and jewelry off of nonchalant men. Their targets are usually the filthy rich figures of the society.
After robbing Tory, they use the same trick. Pak Man, who is a rich young persona, announces an open-to-all offer for women. He is alone, he has money, and he declares his wish on screen, flashing his expensive watch and chain. However, the group’s plan falls flat soon as Tahj discovers that Pak Man is awake, and despite her texts, the group does not get notified in time. In the meantime, the man gets aware of the intrusion, shoots at them, but gets subdued by Tahj. His bullet just nicks Canis, but all of them manage to drive away from the scene. When they reach the hideout, they fall apart, but soon, they fix their next target: an expensive gala. As usual, Tahj receives attention from a mystery man at the gala as she sits at the bar. The man, Charles, seems to be extremely wealthy, flaunting an expensive gold watch on his hand, wearing a perfect two-piece suit, and his slicked-back hair complementing everything. He appears extremely chivalrous and kisses Tahj on her hand, something that feels different to her. Charles takes Tahj back to his house, and she notices that the man owns two expensive Maseratis. Inside the huge mansion, she roams around and discovers rooms full of riches. Tahj, who is yet to make a move, sips on a drink that Charles gives, and soon, she loses consciousness. She wakes up in an underground cellar, tied up, and notices that another girl is also held captive. As Tahj’s fear grows, Charles reveals himself as a butcher, who kills his people gruesomely.
Why are Charles and his brother hunting people down?
Now that you have finished watching the film, you do understand the real meaning of the two identical black Maseratis standing outside Charles’ mansion. The same color and same car models can be a gentle foreshadowing of the existence of twin brothers in the plot. Charles and his twin brother, Darwin, sit on top of a huge pile of wealth that their family has gathered. Now, the question is, if they have so much wealth from inheritance, why are they killing people? The movie does show you a nice parallel with “American Psycho” (I mean, Charles is literally wearing a plastic raincoat, and the way he swings his axe at Canis does make you remember Patrick Bateman’s antics). But let’s be real. Let’s look at the real motive behind Charles and his twin brother’s killings. “Darwin” reveals an important hint when Charles is asserting his dominance over Tahj. He is a white American, and his family has a history of tormenting Tahj’s kind, which means they showcase violent actions towards people of color. It shows how racist they are, and takes you on a ride through the blood-bathed history of white supremacists.
Charles talks about his race asserting dominance on Taj’s ‘kind’ since the Transatlantic Period and the times when railroads were being built. Unless you live under the biggest rock in this universe, you know something or other about these two terms. The Transatlantic Period is the time when African males were traded off as slaves. They were stuffed in cargoes like goods, and many of them died of hunger and thirst. Some of them even committed suicide. For the Black females, it was a life full of sexual abuse, rape, abandonment, and torment at the hands of white people. Black families were absolutely torn apart due to slavery, but it was not the end. After slavery, railroads were built across the globe, and at the core of labor lay Black men and their relentless work. A part of America introduced specific Black codes where young Black men were arrested en masse based on minor crimes. They were leased to railroad companies and mines that forced them to work under inhuman conditions. Charles targets Black women with the intent of ending the source of black life. He is just a psychopathic maniac who is carrying forward the idea of asserting dominance over Black people. The way the twins trace and kill Pop, Canis, and Bam showcases the apex predator mentality, and proves how cold-blooded these murderers are.
Is Something Wrong With Tahj?
Tahj is the main character of “Darwin.” The film’s idea and the central dialogue, “survival of the fittest,” revolve mostly around her life and the trouble she goes through. She has a very troubled past as one day, Tahj’s mother, Gloria, was attacked by the latter’s partner over missing money and almost choked her to death. She struck him in defense and unintentionally took his life. As she was locked up, Tahj had trouble finding refuge under the wing of foster families and often escaped from the foster home. In one of those moments, she came to seek refuge in his cousin Bam Bam’s house. In the present day, Tahj goes to visit her mother in prison, but to her surprise, things go downhill from there. Tahj slips some of her hard-earned cash inside Gloria’s book, but she faces an unexpected reaction. Gloria tries to scare off Tahj from her path to earning, but her daughter shows strong determination. Tahj does not understand Gloria’s point of view—she is just trying to keep her daughter’s life from getting destroyed. Gloria does not want Tahj to spend the rest of her life behind bars in case she gets arrested for a crime. Similarly, she does not want her daughter to stay associated with Canis, since Gloria married a criminal out of necessity. However, to Taj, this is a form of rejection, and this is why she walks out crying and urges Canis to drive away. Although she has lost her biological father, Taj’s dad, Greg, takes good care of her. You can see him cook delicious food for Taj and her boyfriend, Canis. However, the absence of Gloria keeps an open wound in Taj’s life. She struggles with her decisions, and they subconsciously affect her mind.
What Is Up With Canis?
Canis’ backstory is also a subtle foreshadowing of the concept of white supremacy. I mean, think about his life for once. Years ago, he used to be a cashier at a grocery store. Since he mainly worked shifts alone, Canis often depended on store items to satisfy his hunger. It was a simple routine: he took items, put his bill inside the drawer, and took back change from there. However, this got him into trouble with his white supervisor, Mr. Giles. He put forward a dilute clause for firing Canis as Mr. Giles accused him of paying discounted prices for items that are apparently non-discounted. This causes Kanis to go rogue in the world. He tried living his life by hustling, but the system was against him. In the movie, he speaks about this with Bam as well, and Canis often uses this reason as a shield. However, his character is used to portray some metaphors throughout the film. Remember when Canis waits in the car as Tahj goes to the store, and he looks at sparrows feeding on bread? As the pigeon arrives, the small birds are instantly dispersed. This signifies domination, the idea of the “bigger fish in the sea,” something that Canis and his group face from Charles and Darwin.
What Does the Ending Mean?
Throughout the plot, “Darwin” strongly emphasizes the idea of “survival of the fittest,” something that Charles Darwin stresses in his Theory of Evolution. Tahj never relies on violence as when Canis reveals that he will not hesitate to kill someone if the situation demands it, it shocks her. However, the course of her life makes Tahj toughens up. It all starts with the shooting session where Tahj practices her aim in the forest. She knows that survival is not enough. She needs to adapt accordingly. When Charles attacks Canis while the latter comes to liberate Tahj, she does not hesitate to shoot the psychopath in the chest. Tahj gets severely injured by the bear trap in the chase, but she still manages to stab Darwin in the eye and escape the room. To her, the twins are dead, but the real twist comes a year later when Greg sends Taj to the convenience store for some milk. She discovers that Darwin is still alive and the scar beside his eye is still there. What sends a chill down her spine is the fact that Darwin is talking with one of the Black employees. Taj is terrified, and she rushes back to her car as fast as she can. She is still processing what she saw, and the upsurge of panic is visible on her face. However, Taj conquers her fears, chases Darwin to the room, and shoots him right between his eyes. Before leaving, Taj also liberates the young store worker. She is no longer surviving the darkness. Taj is evolving as she is adapting herself according to the changes around her. “Darwin” does not just preach the scientific concepts of adaptation, survival, and evolution. In the movie, these are not limited to black and white pages of history. In “Darwin”, they are alive, ruthless, and unfolding in real time.
