History Film / Karen

[[caption-width-right:300:[[{{Tagline}} All neighbors are not friendly]]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/karen_poster.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} All neighbors are not friendly]]]]

* FreudianExcuse: Karen's extreme racism supposedly developed after her husband was killed on duty by a black criminal.

''Karen'' is a 2021 American crime dramedy written and directed by Coke Daniels, starring Creator/TarynManning, Cory Hardrict and Jasmine Burke.

* EvilIsPetty: "Petty" seems to be Karen's middle name. She gets a couple of black men thrown out of a restaurant for laughing too loud, weasels her way into Imani and Malik's housewarming party only to make a ton of inappropriate comments and jokes towards both them and their guests, then topples over their trash can the next day because it was out before garbage day.

* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Imani appears to be dead after Karen shoots her. She's later revealed to have faked it when she grabs Mike's gun off the floor and shoots Karen.]]

* PoliceAreUseless: Justified, as the most prominent law enforcement in the movie is Karen's brother Mike, a CorruptCop who's just as bigoted and anti-black as she is. What few other police officers there are in the movie are either of no help to the protagonists or just as corrupt. Subverted with Mike's younger partner who challenges Mike several times hwn he goes too far with Malik and [[spoiler: even has a BigDamnHeroes moment at the end when he intervene just in time to keep Karen and Mike from killing Imani.]]

** Karen demands three young black men to show her identification, even though they've done absolutely nothing wrong. Even more egregious since Karen is not part of any kind of law enforcement and therefor has not right to make such demands in the first place.

* StupidEvil: Karen's frothing bigotry and entitlement causes her to engage in this:

* BigotWithABadge: Karen regularly recruits her equally bigoted brother, Officer Mike Wind, to harass and unlawfully detain black people. He's also part of a brotherhood of racist police officers who help each other get away with police misconduct.

Young couple Imani (Burke) and Malik (Hardrict) have just moved into the neighborhood in Harvey Hill, a suburb in Atlanta, right nextdoor to local Homeowners Association president Karen Drexler (Manning). After a rather unpleasant first meeting with the new neighbor, Imali and Malik find themselves repeatedly terrorized by Karen, who has a visceral hatred for black people and throws everything but the kitchen sink at them in order to get them out of Harvey Hill.

* PoliceAreUseless: Justified, as the most prominent law enforcement in the movie is Karen's brother Mike, a CorruptCop who's just as bigoted and anti-black as she is. What few other police officers there are in the movie are either of no help to the protagonists or [[spoiler: die.]]

* VillainousCrush: In one scene it's implied Karen might be sexually attracted to Malik. She intimately touches him when he helps her with her car and reacts strangely pleased when he accidentally gets his shirt wet.

* CorruptCop: Karen's brother Mike, who seemingly has no issue arresting anyone Karen points at or planting evidence when he has insufficient reason to do so.
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler: After getting harassed, stalked and threatened by Karen and her associates the whole movie, Imani finally gets her revenge by disarming Karen and violently killing her in self-defense.]]

* FreudianExcuse: Karen's extreme racism supposedly developed after her husband was killed by a black criminal.

* GoodSnokingEvilSmoking: Karen smokes a cigarette while observing Malik and Imani's house.

** Karen demands three young black men to show her identification, even though they've done absolutely nothing wrong.

* CorruptCop: Karen's brother Mike, who seemingly has no issue arresting anyone Karen points at.

* EvilIsPetty: Karen gets a couple of black men thrown out of a restaurant for laughing too loud. She also immediately develops a strong dislike towards Imani and Malik and uses every opportunity she has to get them in trouble so they'll leave Harvey Hill, seemingly for no other reason than because they're a black couple.

* ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife: Karen, obviously. She's a white, middle-aged, entitled racist, who believes the whole world should bow to her and also the president of Harvey Hill's Homeowners Association. [[spoiler: Though she loses that title after getting a bit too carried away with her anti-black remarks during a meeting.]]

* VillainousCrush: It's implied Karen might have a crush on Malik, She intimately touches him when he helps her with her car and reacts strangely pleased when he accidentally gets his shirt wet.

* SinisterSurveillance: Shortly after Imani and Malik move in, Karen installs a security camera at her house. Both of them notice later on that's pointing directly at their house, meaning Karen has been spying on them.

Young couple Imani (Burke) and Malik (Hardrict) have just moved into the neighborhood in Harvey Hill, a suburb in Atlanta, right nextdoor to local Homeowners Association president Karen Drexler (Manning). After a rather unpleasant meeting with the new neighbor, Imali and Malik find themselves repeatedly terrorized by Karen, who has a visceral hatred for black people and throws everything but the kitchen sink at them in order to get them out of Harvey Hill.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Malik and Imani are put through hell by Karen and her cronies, with Malik getting arrested several times and Imani getting shot close to the end. But the movie concludes with all their tormentors dead, with Imani even being allowed to kill Karen herself and the two of them going on to live a peaceful life in their new neighborhood, having received not only an official apology from the city of Atlanta for what they went through, but also a hefty financial compensation.]]