V (Hugo Weaving) in V for Vendetta
Jesse Pasternack considers the echoes of 2020 that can be found in 2005’s intense — yet still hopeful — dystopian drama V for Vendetta.
When people think of 2020, certain words come to mind, like “pandemic,” “quarantine,” “protest,” or “change.” It was a year where people grappled with a crisis by being forced to stay inside, marched against police violence, and finally, miraculously, celebrated the political defeat of an unpopular leader. All of those things happened in 2020, and will never be forgotten by those who lived through it. But all of those things also happened in the 2005 film V for Vendetta, which also anticipated much of the character of that strange and singular year.
V for Vendetta is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd (Tony Weare provided additional illustrations). It takes place in a version of the United Kingdom which is run by the fascist Norsefire party. A young woman named Evie (Natalie Portman) crosses paths with a mysterious masked man named V (Hugo Weaving), who has been waging a campaign of violence against the Norsefire Party. Soon Evie finds herself on the run with V, as his plan to take down the government barrels towards a violent end.
Obviously, there are major differences between what happened in real life in 2020 and what happens in this movie. But the similarities are fascinating. One scene where Evie reacts angrily to V telling her that she’ll have to stay inside his secret lair for a year foreshadows the anguish felt by millions of people when they had to quarantine indoors due to COVID-19. V has made the most of his own period of quarantine by learning to cook and fight, which is similar to how popular baking soda bread and learning new skills became during the lockdown period. In addition, the key event which triggers massive protests that are a major part of the third act is the killing of a young girl by the secret police, which is comparable to the horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many more in 2020 at the hands of law enforcement.
Evie (Natalie Portman) “quarantining” with V
But while V for Vendetta has literal similarities with 2020, it also has subjective similarities to what it was like to live through that year. It captures the fear that many felt, whether it was because of a deadly virus or a repressive government that was willing to use violence against them. But it also captures the thrill you can feel when you refuse to give into despair and fight back to try to create a better world, especially during its last sequence.
Rousing music by composer Dario Marianelli booms as a large crowd of people, all wearing V’s mask, peacefully march through the streets of London. Their action echoes the protests against police brutality in 2020, which were the largest in American history. As they watch the bombing of Parliament, which represents the destruction of the old government, they take off their masks, revealing many characters who have been killed by the Norsefire Party earlier in the film. It’s so moving that, in a way, they’re able to witness the destruction of the government which took so much from them. It always reminds me of the day when Joe Biden won the 2020 election. I wasn’t able to join in the celebrations that broke out in Los Angeles out of an abundance of caution regarding the pandemic, but I felt like I was not only there, but everywhere. That day, I danced on an LA street corner, ran happily in Central Park, and cheered then president-elect Biden in Wilmington, Delaware as he ran out to address a joyous crowd. It was a wonderful feeling, and it’s strangely fitting that it is one which this dark movie depicts well. After all, the sense that things were maybe going to get better is one that I always think of when I remember the final months of 2020, and it’s something with which I’ll always associate with the finale of V for Vendetta.
The crowd at the end of V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta will be screened at IU Cinema on May 30 as part of our film series in partnership with the Granfalloon festival.