This article contains spoilers for "Weapons."
Zach Cregger loves laying the foundation for a good mystery. "Weapons" and his solo directorial debut "Barbarian" thrive on luring audiences into strange stories about terrible secrets and other unexplained phenomena skimming the surface of our purview. /Film's Chris Evangelista gave a glowing review of "Weapons," accurately citing it as a twisted, funny and scary suburban nightmare. The source of Cregger's horror films comes from unimaginable horrors
existing within reach, albeit cranked up in such a way that no one could feasibly put together that an AirBNB has a literal underground tunnel system. The co-founder of "The Whitest Kids U'Know" has proven to be one of the most exciting voices working in horror because he's able to meld his comic sensibilities with creepy, loaded imagery. It feels unlike what anyone else is doing right now.
"Weapons" keeps you guessing from the opening narration, in which a child recounts how an entire class of grade schoolers all got up out of their beds at 2:17 AM, went outside and disappeared without a trace. It's presented like an urban legend around the campfire or a fairy tale right out of a Stephen King novel. The film centers around the town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania grappling with questions over this strange occurrence that exacerbate their worst instincts. Miss Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) further retreats to drinking as a result of her ostracization from the community, while Archer Graff(Josh Brolin) gets lost in a fugue state of acting out and searching for clues regarding his missing son. But how do you even begin to make sense of something that doesn't fit within the parameters of logical reasoning? What could even be the significance behind 2:17 AM?
The odd time stamp has understandably become a notable talking point leading up to the release of "Weapons." It's way too specific to not have some sort of ulterior meaning - biblical or otherwise - behind it, right? But the truth is that it's textually presented as little more than a random time that Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan in an incredibly creepy performance) performed the hypnotic-induced ritual. To the residents of Maybrook, 2:17 AM symbolizes the moment when a community lost their soul. Cregger brilliantly plays into the terrifying nature of a tragic event happening when most people are sound asleep, and are helpless to prevent it. But Cregger gives the impression that there's an alternate meaning to the number's symbolic presence.
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One Possible Meaning Behind 2:17 Is Hidden In Plain Sight
In an interview with /Film's Chris Evangelista, Cregger talked about how movies like Paul Thomas Anderson's labyrinth masterpiece "Magnolia" inspired how he approached telling this story, but one detail caught my eye. While he may not have given a direct answer concerning the significance of the 2:17 AM time stamp, he did insinuate that it wasn't a totally random decision on his part. "I've said in other interviews 'it's nothing,' but there's something there," says Cregger. Little details like this make it fun for people to theorize and discuss once the movie's over. He's absolutely right in that it wouldn't be all that much fun if he just had to point it all out to us. In the words of David Lynch, "the film is the talking." After listening to what "Weapons" wants to say, one interpretation stuck out to me - it's emblematic of Justine's classroom.
The class is made up of 18 students and 1 teacher. On the night that rocked Maybrook to its core, 17 of them walked out into the night, with only Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher) and Justine showing up to school later that morning. 2:17 represents the divide of those that went missing versus those who are still around to deal with the emotional aftermath. It doesn't alter how you could view "Weapons," as it's mostly a cheeky little detail that's hidden in plain sight. The marketing team behind did a phenomenal job of providing just enough information to wet our beaks, while leaving its greatest shocks and introspection for the film itself. I have no doubt more folks probably would have caught onto this observation had they known that there was one student among them that didn't disappear.
Intentional or not, there's also one other angle in which to view 2:17. Cregger tragically lost his best friend and WKUK collaborator Trevor Moore on August 7, 2021 after he accidentally fell from his balcony. Calls started being made around 2:30 (via TMZ). "Weapons" has its mind on a lot of things, but it's also about Cregger grappling with his own grief surrounding the loss of a loved one at an unimaginable time of day. 2:17 is simultaneously random, calculated and unexplainable, much like how terrible things happen to people every day and every minute.
"Weapons" is now playing in theaters nationwide.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
