Justin Tipping’s film Him follows Cameron Cade, a promising quarterback draft pick played by Tyriq Withers, as he navigates the pressures of professional football and the luxurious lifestyle it affords. Set against the backdrop of American sports culture, the story exposes the sacrifices and hidden challenges tied to fame and success, themes underscored by the collaboration with filmmaker Jordan Peele, whose influence added a distinctive horror element to the project.
Exploring Themes Beyond the Game
At its core, Him incorporates horror conventions to delve into complex issues such as masculinity, stalking, parasocial relationships with celebrities, racial dynamics, and the self-worth of athletes. Initially titled GOAT, the project underwent a transformation when Tipping joined, refining the script by Skip Bronkie and Zack Akers to focus on America’s relentless “exhaustion economy.” Tipping explains the film questions how people balance time and ambition amid the demands of modern life.
“It’s the fundamental feeling of, ‘What are you willing to do, what are you willing to sacrifice to be great at what you do?’ It transcended this very niche thing of a quarterback in professional sports. It actually applied to me at the time,”
Tipping says.
“I was burnt out from shooting TV post-pandemic, and making money was the most depressed I’ve ever been. I realized this is universal, whether you’re a writer or a journalist, a painter, or a day laborer. Society at large post-pandemic really had to reckon with: How do we spend our time? Is it really worth it to do this? I was questioning: ‘How many birthdays did I miss? How many weddings did I miss? Why didn’t I fly back for the birth of my nephew?’ I thought that in American culture, I was supposed to grind and hustle. So writing this was an emotional journey for me.”
Personal Experiences Fueling the Story
Tipping’s own life parallels the relentless pace depicted in Him. After gaining recognition for his 2016 indie film Kicks and directing for television series such as The Chi, Black Monday, and Dear White People, Tipping was intimately familiar with the drive required for success in creative and professional fields.
“After ‘Kicks,’ my first day on the first paid gig I ever had was on a TV show,”
he shares.
“I got a call halfway through the day that my father died, just unexpectedly, randomly. Two weeks later, I went back to set and didn’t stop shooting until I got burnt out and my body shut me down. There’s a monologue in ‘Him’ about how the field’s a safe place. I can talk to that now, but subconsciously, I was working through it.”
Jordan Peele’s Role in Shaping the Film’s Horror Elements
The horror dimension of Him was largely influenced by executive producer Jordan Peele, known for blending social commentary with horror in his work. Tipping credits Peele with encouraging creative risks and helping to cultivate the film’s unsettling and eerie atmosphere.
“He’s the perfect sounding board,”
Tipping notes.
“Because he comes from a filmmaker point of view, he understands ‘I’m not directing the movie, you’re directing the movie.’ So you’re starting from a place of ‘What are you going for?’ and working backwards. Some of the best times would be when I’d say, ‘I have this fucked up, crazy idea, but I don’t know if this is going to fly.’ It was a safe space to say, ‘What about this,’ and then it felt like a really amazing tennis rally. A lot of the weirdness comes from our conversations.”
Highlighting the Dark Side of Sports Culture
Beyond its horror aspects, Him serves as a critique of the commodification of athletes within the sports industry. The film investigates the precarious nature of an athlete’s value tied solely to physical ability, and the disposability they face once their bodies fail or age out of the game.
“The themes I was most interested in are, ‘What happens when the athlete becomes the commodity in the institution?’”
Tipping explains.
“If your body’s your only capital, and you get injured or age out, you are just a warm body that is moved through spaces and is disposable. If that’s the horrific, underlying thing, I think there’s a lot to explore there. That’s what opened up all the things that came after, where you could wink to horror subgenres. But it’s tackling all at once the business side of sports, and the dark side of the business.”
Anticipating Audience Engagement and Reflection
Through this intense and immersive story, Tipping hopes to provoke discussions about America’s obsession with performance and the costs of success. The fusion of horror with a sports narrative creates a new space for viewers to critically examine themes of identity, exhaustion, and commodification, making Him a timely reflection on contemporary culture.
