Is an author allowed to deny any interpretations of his film? That’s exactly what Director Zach Cregger (Barbarian 2022) has done on his press tour for Weapons, which is playing in theaters now. Most of his interviews emphasize a personal tragedy of his that inspired the movie, rather than the various political valences one might place upon a story about 17 kids who mysteriously disappear in the middle of the same night. On this episode of The Long Take Review, we debate how much the film is trying to say something vs. what it’s actually saying to us, as well as why the film is structured in the way it is and how scary it actually is.

Please note that we recorded this episode more than a week before the tragic events at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. There is indeed a broader discussion of school shootings in the episode, but we do not reference this recent school shooting because at the time of recording it had not yet occurred. If our conversation helps you process this devastating news in some way, please reach out to us or share your thoughts in the comments.

We go into SPOILER MODE at the 21:28 minute mark. If you are not ready to investigate, you can listen safely until then.

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