In this production, a pampered aristocrat abandons his life of privilege to become a pirate. (HBOMax)
Pirate stories have run through centuries of literature, both historical and adventure. With the arrival of the cinema, the fame of these boisterous and mischievous sailors increased their farcical side and put aside the drama. There was always humor in the pirate world, but none in the style of Our flag is death (Our Flag Means Death), an original comedy about an unusual pirate who travels the seas at the beginning of the 18th century to live risky adventures with his surprised crew. His sailors don’t know very well how to respond, it’s that Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) doesn’t look like any pirate they’ve ever met.
Bonnet’s origin and history is very different from that of all his guildmates. This young man had a very well-to-do social position, with a wife and two children. He didn’t need to go out to sea, not at all. But the monotony of his home and the contempt he saw in his family towards him made him make the drastic decision to abandon everything in pursuit of a pirate life. Your ship is called revenge and his men do not work for him as a percentage of looting, but rather receive a fixed salary, in a form of security contrary to the pirate spirit. But that is not all. He has built a playground for them on the ship, they have a library and even a kind of spa. All this without mentioning that he reads them a story at night. Bonnet does not know violence, but his men, although they complain a little, are happy with his eccentric captain.
But the most unusual thing about this crazy comedy about Sted Bonnet, nicknamed pirate knight, is that it is based on a true story. Yes, Bonnet, the landowner turned pirate, did exist and his life is well documented in history textbooks. As the series itself is responsible for mentioning, Bonnet knew how to cross paths with the most famous pirate of all, the very blackbeard (interpreted by Taika Waikiki, also producer). Much of the series consists of remembering that everything we see is inspired by events that occurred in the real world in the 18th century. The series goes in and out of history to reflect on the crisis of midlife and the fantasy of adventure that nests in many people.
You have to adapt to the humor to enjoy it, yes. In the first episode all the codes are understood and it is a matter of surrendering. The plot has good twists and surprises that work very well. It never stagnates, which is why the thirty-minute episodes are bearable and very entertaining. One of the producers and director of an episode is the aforementioned Taika Waikiki, the director of the mockumentary. What We Do in the Shadows (2014), a brilliant film about a group of vampires who live together in a house. Waikiki is one of the most important figures in today’s cinema, even more so since he won the Oscar for best screenplay for his film JojoRabbit (2019).
