Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘I Came By’ is the story of vigilantism gone wrong. The film has an influential person abusing his position to hide his horrific crimes. While the film is a thriller, it also focuses on the themes of class differences and how the very institutions that are supposed to serve the common people fail them immensely. It mixes entertainment and thrill with a strong social message that makes the audience stop in their tracks, put themselves in the shoes of the protagonists, and think about what they’d do in their place. If you are looking for films like ‘I Came By’ that focus on similar themes, then we’ve got you covered.
6. The Hunt (2020)
‘I Came By’ talks about people in power using their privilege to get around the law and save themselves using their connections. The rich and the powerful have abused their position for a long time, and the graffiti artists in the film want to highlight it through their vigilantism. We see a similar abuse of power in ‘The Hunt’, though this film notches up the violence and the abuse tenfold. It follows the story of a group of elites who have come up with a new sport to entertain themselves: they hunt people. Who will put a stop to their atrocious actions?
5. Mayhem (2017)
While ‘I Came By’ shows us the injustice that the people with wealth and in positions of power inflict upon common people, ‘Mayhem’ gives us a sense of the journey that leads a person to chase wealth and power and what it can do to them. Take it as a prequel of sorts where a man is ready to do whatever it takes to get that highly coveted promotion. Starring Steven Yeun in the lead role, ‘Mayhem’ follows the story of a man named Derek Cho, a lawyer who wants to rise higher up the ladder. He is already walking the fine line that leads him to the side of immorality, but all his inhibitions disappear when his workplace is quarantined due to a virus. Spoiler Alert: there is a lot of blood.
4. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the most interesting directors working today as he has carved a place of his own when it comes to making movies as absurd as they are deep. The likes of ‘Dogtooth’, ‘The Lobster’ and ‘The Favourite’ show how he can churn out great films and give the audience a ton to think about. Something similar happens in ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’, which one could say is a little less weird as compared to his other works, but still very compelling. It follows the story of a surgeon who brings home a teenager, hoping to do some good. But things don’t go as he’d planned.
3. Summer of ’84 (2018)
‘I Came By’ has an authority figure at its center who commits some horrible crimes. Being an ex-judge puts Hector in a position where he can help people, but he abuses his power to wreak havoc. In ‘Summer of ’84’, we find another authority figure in a similar position. It follows the story of a group of teenagers who deduce that the person responsible for the disappearance of thirteen children over the course of a decade is a local police officer. With a person in law enforcement as the killer, the teenagers have to come up with a way to stop him themselves, but things are direr than they seem at first glance.
2. Us (2019)
Talk about horror and using it to send a social message to the audience and the name of Jordan Peele comes up. His Oscar-winning ‘Get Out’ perfectly sets the balance between being a scary movie and talking about racism. In ‘Us’, he shifts the discussion into a different, but equally important direction. It begins as the story of a woman who goes on a vacation with her family and friends. While things are great in the present, a tragic event from the past catches up to her and soon results in a string of murders. The film focuses on the themes of classism and tackles the issue of duality that has become ingrained in society today. Much like ‘Get Out’, it is a layered mystery.
1. Fresh (2022)
‘I Came By’ teaches us that people are not what they seem. They might have some horrible secrets hidden in their basement and you’d never know about it. While people like Toby and Liz learn it by paying for their life, Noa sacrifices something else. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones in the lead role, ‘Fresh’ has Sebastian Stan playing the role of a man who looks like a perfect person to date, but that’s just scratching the surface. All the charm that he uses to seduce women has a lot hiding underneath. And, to say the least, the picture is not pretty. If you loved the horrifying revelations and twists and turns of ‘I Came By’, then you should definitely watch this one.
