My dear readers, it seems as though my sweet Penny Dee and I have been spending more time than usual around the old abode and it is in moments like these that one really begins to appreciate the little quirks that are to be found about anyone’s living quarters. For instance, we have been made aware that the dining hall possesses an echo that had not been noticeable previously. At first, we found this a charming little distraction and on some rather decadent evenings, we even recited a few phrases worth of nonsensical verse for the simple pleasure of hearing them repeated. But gradually, the echo seems to have become a less accurate reflection of our particular choices in tone and phrasing. While I am sure this could be an attractive novelty in its own right, some of the language the echo has been using recently is completely unfit for the dining table. I am no expert in these matters, to be perfectly clear, but I imagine it has something to do with the wood grain used by the original architect. And while I hate to go mucking about with the very structure of our estate, it is difficult to imagine sitting idly by amid such consistent misrepresentation.

Nya (Lex Scott Davis) is also familiar with trying to make her voice heard. She is no stranger to the old protest line and as of late, she has taken particular issue with the New Founding Fathers of America. The NFFA, as fans of brevity prefer to call them, have succeeded in capturing the White House and are seeking a psychic salve for the nation’s troubled citizens. To this end, they suggest that society would benefit from a “Purge,” an event in which the bounds of law and order are suspended for twelve hours so that the populous may release any suppressed illicit impulses. Nya is not particularly chuffed with this idea, as she prefers a society that does not periodically lapse into chaos. She is also displeased that Staten Island, her borough of residence, has been selected as the site of the first experimental Purge. But her greatest objection is to the financial incentive given to those who remain on the island and the bonuses afforded to anyone who openly engages in unlawful behavior.

Yet in spite of her activism, the first Purge gets underway all the same and Nya decides to stick it out on the island and care for her loved ones. Unfortunately, her wayward brother Isaiah (Joivan Wade) slips out to engage in a bit of federally financed homicide and Nya is forced into the temporarily lawless streets in search of him. At first, the Purge does not seem to have caused a frenzy of unrest and aside from the odd psychopath, many people seem content to wait out the evening without breaking a single law. But for an American political party, encouraging little windows of anarchy is something of a gamble and the NFFA has tied much of their future success to the necessity of their proposal. This pressure leads some members of the administration to interfere with the scientific purity of the experiment by sending in freelance soldiers to stir up a bit of newsworthy brutality. Swarms of professional agitators put Nya in more immediate danger than she had hoped and lower her opinion of the administration even further.

The First Purge is a prequel to the popular Purge series, a prologue that provides the context in which this spiffy little notion was originally conceived. In spite of the fact that it is set in a fantastical version of the United States where racial conflicts are at an apex, protests are widespread and the economy is in a bit of a pickle, I believe The First Purge still has some resonance with our present times. Perhaps, if viewed in this manner, the film could be seen as a cautionary tale. If one were to put on their own Purge, it would be quite distasteful to involve government-subsidized mercenaries disguised as hate groups, or to expect ethnic minorities and people of meager income to bear the brunt of the barbarity. Of course, as the title reminds us, this is only the first purge, and one can hardly expect a federal program to rollout without any issues at all. Still, when it comes to government subsidized spasms of violence, I think we can all agree that inclusion is of the utmost importance.

The First Purge runs 97 minutes and is rated R for strong disturbing violence throughout, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use.