Saagar Kote
‘Shelter’ tells the story of Michael Mason, a solitary man living on a remote Scottish island with his pet dog, Jack. His socially isolated existence is supported by the routine supply runs made by a young girl named Jessie and her uncle on their small boat. This tranquility is shattered when a violent storm strikes during one of their supply visits, resulting in the uncle’s drowning. Michael manages to rescue an injured Jessie. However, their new reality quickly descends into danger as they become targets of individuals linked to Michael’s seemingly dangerous past.
Forced to confront harsh realities, Michael must now use his formidable and deadly skills in a brutal fight to keep Jessie and himself alive. In the story, a discreet surveillance system called THEA and Black Kites, a shadowy spy program, hold the key to Michael and Jessie’s survival as they come across unexpected threats. SPOILERS AHEAD.
THEA is an Elite Surveillance Network That Crosses Moral and Legal Boundaries
Michael’s mundane life is interrupted when a social media picture posted by an unknown girl is picked up by the Total Human Engagement Analytics (THEA) system. THEA spots Michael in the picture’s background and immediately alerts the people running it at MI6. A politician named Haneron exposes the real purpose of THEA during a public inquiry committee questioning. Haneron accuses the British government of collecting the private data of British citizens. She also targets MI6 for collecting personal data of citizens and creating an intelligence super system and an advanced surveillance network. The result of this process is THEA. Manafort misuses his authority within MI6 and uses THEA to target and eliminate Michael.
Though THEA is a fictional system that exists only in the movie, it sheds light on the real-world issues of excessive government surveillance and the invasion of citizens’ fundamental rights. THEA essentially goes against the spirit of democracy and treats citizens as numbers and data points, and not as human beings with legal rights. THEA and the issues it leads to are extremely relevant in the era of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the real world, the rapid growth of social media has enabled corporations to collect users’ data. THEA reflects the dangerous collusion between government institutions and private players who work together to create a system where they know everyone’s secrets and vulnerabilities.
The real-world implications of a system like THEA would be catastrophic, as it would essentially mean the end of privacy. In the story, THEA enables MI6 to control cameras from all over the country without any oversight or consequences. Despite the real intention of THEA being exposed to the public, the government is able to employ it wherever or whenever it needs. Thus, THEA is a network and system that violates democratic principles in the name of safety.
Black Kites is a Spy Program Designed to Operate Without Rules and Consequences
Black Kites is intricately linked to Michael’s past and present. It is revealed that Michael used to be a Black Kites operative in the past, until he chose to walk away. The Black Kites program, though run by Manafort, exists outside the structure of MI6. Manafort hires extremely skilled spies and soldiers to become Black Kites operatives and carry out clandestine missions around the world. This allows Manafort to eliminate targets without worrying about judicial consequences or the interference of his own colleagues at MI6. Michael became the best Black Kites agent in the past, but refused to kill an Iranian nuclear scientist who was willing to defect.
Black Kites is strikingly similar to “Operation Treadstone” and “Operation Blackbriar” in the ‘Jason Bourne’ film franchise. Like Jason Bourne, Michael fights against agents sent by his own former boss. Despite being a fictional program, Black Kites is significantly connected to reality due to its depiction of the level of power and influence that spy agencies hold in the real world. The spy world is run on deception and lies, which might make a program like Black Kites extremely attractive to those willing to establish control.
Other than being a covert spy program, Black Kites also enables MI6 to psychologically control its agents and command them to take risky actions to achieve dangerous missions. A Black Kites agent named Workman is activated by Manafort to target Michael. In the real world, a potential program similar to Black Kites would allow major countries to complete illegal and unethical missions while also maintaining plausible deniability. All in all, ‘Shelter,’ through Black Kites, conveys important issues that have political, legal, and social ramifications in the real world.
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