'Don't Breathe 2,' the Horror Sequel That Offers a Rapist an Undeserving Redemption Arc
'Don't Breathe 2' is a sequel that forgoes almost everything that made its predecessor good, and asks audiences to root for a rapist on top of that.

A wealthy young woman falls in love with a radio singer without ever having seen him. She forces her strange family (forgetful father, mother with ideas of grandeur, three sisters with a passion for singing and another who takes care of abandoned children) to go to the EIAR headquarters to be able to meet him.
'Don't Breathe 2' is a sequel that forgoes almost everything that made its predecessor good, and asks audiences to root for a rapist on top of that.
The social issues The Half of it takes on are handled well, between the antagonization brought on to Ellie for her race and the conflict that arises from her being gay. Both aspects of her character are built up over the course of the film and don’t seem abrupt or rushed. The film shows racism towards Ellie and her and father in varying levels, from having her schoolmates specifically address her as "Chinese girl” to the fore mentioned way her Dad is treated due to language barriers. The same can be said about Ellie being a lesbian. While she never truly “comes out” in the narrative, that does not undermine her journey of self-discovery from being meaningful. These ideas aren’t thrust upon the viewer in a preachy manor, the scenarios that occur feel believable given the rural setting. The film presents watchers with problems whom those like Ellie may face, and leaves us to sit with them and reflect.
A world of expansion awaits.
Cord Jefferson's hilarious and thought-provoking film continues a long-standing cinematic tradition, expanding the conversation around the impact of systemic racism in today's media.
What seems like such a simple story of survival is so much more than that—it’s a story of family, and of war, and of destruction. It’s painful to watch, but not in a bad way. It makes its audience reflect on their own actions, and in how they are complicit in the sufferings of others as the adults in this film are. Grave of the Fireflies does not hold back from being heartbreaking, and it shouldn’t. It tells a message that needs to be heard decades after the war, and a story that cannot be forgotten by history.
Now that we're officially halfway through Hispanic Heritage Month, let's look ahead at movies featuring Hispanic & Latine representation through the rest of 2021.