John Logan has written big scripts from some even bigger directors over the past two decades, garnering three Oscar nominations in the process. Whether it's Gladiator, Sweeney Todd, The Aviator, Spectre, The Last Samurai, Skyfall, or Alien: Covenant, Logan has penned some epic films that have cemented his name in the cinematic zeitgeist. So it's interesting that They/Them, the first movie that Logan has directed, is such a small picture with seemingly little to do with his oeuvre.
If anything, this is a testament to just how personal They/Them is for Logan, and how passionate he is about the new movie on Peacock. Logan has been coming full-circle to his roots in horror — Logan strayed from the genre for two decades after his first theatrical release, the underrated 1999 movie Bats, but with Alien: Covenant and his show Penny Dreadful, Logan has been embracing horror again. This is seen in full force with They/Them, a film that lovingly combines a whole variety of horror tropes (the unknown slasher, the summer camp filled with horny teenagers, and so on) into a fun, surprising, and relevant (though not exactly scary) film.
The Story of They/Them on Peacock
They/Them takes place at an isolated 'gay conversion' camp in the middle of the woods, where an ensemble cast of LGBTQ+ teens are sent for various reasons. When they arrive, they're greeted by the owners of the camp, Owen Whistler (played by Kevin Bacon) and his wife (played by Carrie Preston), who surprise the kids by actually not seeming to be awful and horrible characters. Owen introduces the camp as "a safe space" where the group can navigate their identity with an open mind and leave camp having a better understanding of themselves. Of course, not everything's as it seems.
The film has a wide and diverse cast, with some great performances on each side of the camp (the teens and the counselors); Austin Crute, Anna Lore, Monique Kim, Quei Tann, Cooper Koch, and the great Anna Chlumsky (as the camp's appointed therapist) and many more stack the cast and manage to express their individuality despite the lengthy credits. Nonetheless, They/Them tends to position Jordan (played by Theo Germaine) as the protagonist, though some character pairings happen pretty organically and add to the story.
Over the course of a few days, romantic sparks fly between some and flames of fury are sparked between others as the counselors attempt to enforce gender-normative roles (taking the 'boys' to the shooting range and teaching the 'girls' how to bake pies). The antagonism and a sense of danger mounts as surprises are revealed, dialogue skews toward the menacing, and a feeling of violence and hostility enshrouds the camp. And that's even before the murders start.
They/Them is a Good Teen Horror Movie, Just Not Very Scary
After its opening scene, it takes quite a while for the more explicit horror elements to rear their head, though of course Logan films everything through the lens of aesthetic horror. One of the interesting (and perhaps disappointing to diehard horror fans) things about They/Them is how it wears the horror genre almost as camouflage in order to disguise a much more intricate dialogue about gender, biology, performance, and culture. Though it definitely pays homage to classic scary movies, the film uses the horror genre's overused clichés as the urtext for the ideological subtext that They/Them riffs on.
This might feel like a bait-and-switch for some audiences who are craving good jump scares and relentless gore (especially from a Blumhouse movie), but that's probably why They/Them is on Peacock and not Shudder. However, this is probably the most successful way an LGBTQ+ film can queer the mainstream — via the conventions of extremely popular genre filmmaking.
It's the same tactic that made Love, Simon such a successful LGBTQ+ film from the 2010s. That may not be a timeless cinematic masterpiece, but it dons the popular tropes and clichés of beloved romance and coming-of-age movies so well that it's able to advance progressive and affirming ideas in the context of a movie that many people will actually watch. In this sense, it's the opposite of preaching to the choir; it's singing to non-believers.
Of course, the choir will probably love They/Them. It's a fun exploration of the non-binary and a solid critique of gender enforcement, filled with tense but enlightening dialogue from a master screenwriter that advances the conversation around freedom of expression and the LGBTQ+ experience. It definitely helps that the cast of They/Them mostly relates personally to its story, and brings their own expression and experience to the film.
The Cast of They/Them Make the Film
Aside from the gender politics and playful subversion of the horror genre, what really helps They/Them stand out is its cast. Theo Germaine has been really promising as an actor recently, with excellent work in The Politician and especially Work in Progress, and they continue to display their range and confidence in They/Them as Jordan.
Jordan essentially becomes a protector figure against the cruelties of the camp counselors. They're a fascinating character, simultaneously nurturing (offering their clothes to someone) and threatening (having immense skill as a sharp-shooter, willing to cross lines others won't). Their uncomfortable psychological torture scene with Carrie Preston is especially amazing.
Preston is one of a few legends who proverbially bless this film and its young cast with their presence, and yet step back and allow the rest of the cast to shine. Preston, so good in myriad shows (True Blood, The Good Wife, Person of Interest), is intimidatingly bitter here, sucking the cheer out of every scene she's in with immense skill. The young cast that she lets shine is mostly great as well (especially an excellent Anna Lore and Monique Kim, who develop a sympathetic relationship), each having their moments to shine despite a pretty large cast of characters.
Kevin Bacon and Anna Chlumsky Round Out the Great Cast
Kevin Bacon, of course, is another legend who's just incredible here as the main camp counselor, a really tricky character to pull off. Bacon has been excelling most at villainy recently, from Super to Cop Car, and he plays both with and against that perception here masterfully.
Anna Chlumsky, so energetically loquacious in Veep and Inventing Anna, plays against type here as someone employed by the camp who doesn't necessarily believe in their ideology, quietly compassionate but also curious. Like several characters in They/Them (and really any murder mystery, by definition), the viewer isn't entirely sure what to make of Anna's character Molly. That's partly what makes the actual genre narrative of the film work — practically anyone in this cast could be the murderous slasher.
While it's not exactly scary, They/Them does build some uneasy tension and has a couple of outstandingly creepy moments, making it a good addition to the many recent LGBTQ+ horror films. It tackles some important and obviously relevant ideas, which will obviously have it targeted as 'woke' by some viewers but does so with a fun twist on horror classics. The glue holding all of Logan's ideas together, though, is his cast, who helps make this a very watchable, unpredictable good time.
They/Them is a Peacock Original Film produced by Jason Blum and Michael Aguilar; it premiered July 24th at Outfest and will be available for streaming on Peacock starting Aug. 5th.