V for Vendetta: A Reflection of 2020

By: Paola Hernandez

2020 has been a year full of rude awakenings for the privileged and just another Tuesday for others. Based on Alan Moore’s novel, James McTeigue’s film V for Vendetta serves as a reflection of today’s issues with our government’s inadequate dealings with the coronavirus and protests. V mentions, “People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” This idea resonates with every black person who dares to walk alone in the street in fear of being perceived as a suspect and instantly criminalized. Although V is an anarchist looking for revenge for the occurrences of Lark Hill, he inspires a revolution against the authoritarian regime Norsefire that has taken advantage of its people. This dystopia reflects the current events dealing with the Black Lives Matter movement and protests going on all over the country due to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others who have died at the hands of police misconduct and brutality. These are crimes that went unpunished until the protests brought national attention to the cases. Unlike the film, which is led by the violent and vengeful V, most of the protests have been peaceful with the exception of looters.

The coronavirus has swept the entire planet, knocking down countries like the United States of America from its pedestal for a failure to respond adequately. This is similar to the film when the unknown virus plagues the whole world but specifically damages America the most. A plague that has left people hopeless and yearning for a sense of leadership and normalcy ultimately leads them to submit to a fascist government. At the moment, we are at a crossroad. In the film, Britain’s people are left in such a place of despair that they hold on to the first people who provide them with stability and a way out of their current situation, even if it is an overzealous regime. Contrary to the film, people today still have the chance to vote out the current unprepared leader. 

Suppose we were to reflect that situation to today’s time; we are faced with a government that only caters to specific citizens and finds new ways to oppress the “others” who do not conform to their idealistic society. Because “ideas are bulletproof,” it is vital for us as citizens to vote out any political members who aspire to rule through fear and violence. V goes as far as stating that “authority, when first detecting chaos at its heels, will entertain the vilest schemes to save its orderly façade.” V questions the ethics of government filtered information and tells us to take such information with a grain of salt. We have seen this in the murder of Vanessa Guillen in the military base of Fort Hood when the news portrayal of the resulting protests classified them as riots and vilified the people who were peacefully fighting for a change in this country instead of questioning the ones inflicting the harm. The film’s relevancy to everything going on today, such as the emotional tolls and power-hungry politicians trying to take advantage of people in these desperate times, is daunting having been released in 2005 and originally written in 1982. V for Vendetta engages and inspires people to rethink their roles in society, reminds them to stand up against a government that does not have their best interest in mind, and encourages them to “remember, remember” to vote on the third of November.