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Karen stands for a middle-aged white woman who is angry, racist, and entitled. Anyone who would call the manager or the police on black people, mainly for no solid logic, is named Karen.

Over the years, the use of the word has become popular, more so than ever, in the internet-friendly world, where uploading confrontations on social media have become just a two-step process — film and post. 

And every time a new Karen becomes viral for all the wrong reasons, the viewers are in for either a fit of laughter or revulsion or in-between. That being said, Karen memes are mostly hilarious.

But behold, the jokes and fun aren't the fundamental elements for the upcoming thriller Karen. 

What Is 'Karen' About?

Emblematic to its title, Karen is about an unhinged white woman who contemplates for no reason to make the life of a black couple a living hell. She doubles home security and purposely provokes and humiliates the couple who just moved to the Atlanta suburb, hoping to find a new home. 

The titular character is played by Taryn Manning, whereas her victims Malik and Imani are portrayed by Cory Hardrict and Jasmine Burke.

While the movie's release date hasn't been set, the film will air on BET in the winter of 2021. It is also set for limited theatrical release and will be available on Prime and iTunes. 

That being said, the movie received criticisms from the minute it released its teaser trailer. It also provoked a backlash on Twitter from the Black community for being out of cultural favor. 

Writer Roxane Gay wondered if the movie preview was an SNL thing or a real-life movie in her tweet dated June 21, 2021.

The following day, New York Times' editor Aisha Harris shared her opinion on the trailer. She questioned if the rejected premises for parodies were used to create actual "bad movies." 

Director Coke Daniels Responds

In the wake of the hateful comments and criticism, the film's director Coke Daniels talked to The Daily Beast magazine in June 2021 and clarified that he expected the response. 

In his own words, Daniels wanted the film to spark conversation about social injustice and racism, and it did just that. The writer mentioned that he respected everyone's differing opinions, as the movie encapsulated delicate subjects.  

With all the hype, hysteria, love, hate, everything, it just creates the perfect platform for us to really set the stage for that discussion.

The film producer also touched down on comparing his work with Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning Get Out. He claimed the stories were worlds apart despite the two belonging to the same genre.

Elaborating how his work wasn't a rip-off, Daniels stated that 'Karen' was more offensive and polarizing.

He remarked he deliberately brought the issues fore-front without pulling punches or sugarcoating the situation. The rapper-turned-filmmaker wanted to depict racism in its authentic form. 

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