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This Is America Part 2

This Is America Part 2

1980

Director

Romano Vanderbes

Runtime

102 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

The sequel to This is America, aka Jabberwalk. This film goes inside the real America circa 1980 - a world of punks, orgies and worm-eating hicks! Romano Vanderbes back on the film making side and Norman Rose back on narrating duty for the second of the This Is America trilogy. Things kick off slightly louder this time with a performance by The Dictators doing a version of America the Beautiful while the titles role, then right into piece about punk star Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedy's running for mayor of San Francisco. Then back into a more This Is America feeling segment about a crazy fat bloke called Captain Sticky. Among some of the other more interesting segments we get a look at underground vagrants, a piranha attack, martial arts nuns, a family of worm eaters, a drug abusing church and ends with a death row electrocution.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.1/10

Fair

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Fair

The film explores underground subcultures and orgies, suggesting a departure from heteronormative norms. However, it lacks specific character arcs focused on LGBTQ+ identity or agency.

Gender Representation

Fair

Gender hierarchies are disrupted through unconventional lifestyles. The inclusion of martial arts nuns provides a subversion of traditional female archetypes by emphasizing physical agency.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Limited

The documentary focuses on marginalized subcultures like punks and underground vagrants. While it avoids middle-class homogeneity, specific racial or intersectional depth is not explicitly detailed.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Excellent

The work excels at critiquing Western institutions. By depicting a drug-abusing church and subversive patriotic performances, it actively deconstructs traditional religious and nationalistic structures.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There is no clear evidence regarding disability representation. Eccentric figures like Captain Sticky appear to be social outliers rather than specific studies of disability.

Strengths

  • Strong subversion of traditional Western institutions and patriotic iconography.
  • Effective documentation of counter-cultural movements and underground subcultures.
  • Challenges mainstream social cohesion through a postmodern lens.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks explicit, identity-driven narratives for LGBTQ+ characters.
  • Provides limited detail regarding racial and ethnic intersectionality.
  • Insufficient evidence of meaningful disability representation.

AI Analysis

This documentary functions as a postmodern critique of American exceptionalism. It prioritizes the documentation of counter-cultural movements and the deconstruction of mainstream social cohesion over traditional storytelling. The film's strength lies in its cultural disruption, using subversive imagery to challenge religious and patriotic institutions. It successfully moves away from the homogeneous depictions common in 1980s media by centering on the fringes of society. However, the work lacks explicit focus on racial intersectionality and specific LGBTQ+ narratives. While it portrays non-conformist behaviors, it does not provide deep, identity-driven character development for these groups.

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