Tuesday, March 10, 2020

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Tuesday, March 10, 2020

VOLUME CLV, ISSUE 33

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Three University students tested for COVID-19 as state precautions increase Several U. classes prepare for cancellation of inperson lectures, transition to online classes

BY OLIVIA GEORGE AND ISABEL INADOMI METRO EDITORS Three University students are currently being tested for COVID-19 coronavi-

rus, according to an email sent by Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes and Executive Director of Health and Wellness Vanessa Britto to students and faculty Monday.

The students “traveled to a venue outside of Rhode Island where they may have been exposed to the virus,” Estes and Britto wrote in the email to the University community. While the students are currently in isolation, test results are pending.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Action on campus Following recent developments last week, some classes are preparing or have decided to operate remotely. While Computer Science students were sent an email instructing them to prepare for online-only classes, one class, CSCI 0160: “Introduction to Algorithms and Data Structures”, has cancelled in-person lecture and moved their classes onto Zoom, an online teaching tool, effective today. The policy will be implemented “for the foreseeable future,”

according to an email sent to students by the class’s Head Teaching Assistants Monday evening.

In an email to students enrolled in CS classes earlier Monday, Director of CS Undergraduate Studies Tom Doeppner wrote that the department is preparing for the possibility that classes and TA hours will need to be held online. “We already have significant resources and experience with the modern tools and practices required to deliver our classes online, and are

actively working with other units at Brown to make sure we keep any disruption to your experience and goals minimal,” Doeppner wrote.

Outside of the classroom, some student organizations are reevaluating their policies in light of recent updates.

Lillian Pickett ’22, a coordinator of the Housing Assistance Collaborative as a part of Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, said that in addition to

SEE VIRUS PAGE 4

ARTS & CULTURE

UCS project to grant 24/7 swipe access to Bear’s Lair

SUMMER ZHANG / HERALD

UCS aims to extend access, improve Keeney’s Bigelow Gymnasium

BY NITYA THAKKAR STAFF WRITER All residential students will soon have 24/7 swipe access into the Graduate Center Bear’s Lair as part of a pilot program for this spring, according to Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students Koren Bakkegard.

The change comes as a result of efforts by the Undergraduate Council of Students to expand swipe access into

various communal spaces on campus, according to UCS Vice President Jason Carroll ’21.

Prior to the change, all students had swipe access to the Bear’s Lair during daytime hours. After 6 p.m., the space was only accessible to those living in the Graduate Center and Vartan Gregorian Quandrangle A and B. “We want to make swipe access at Brown better because it’ll increase campus accessibility and safety for so many students,” Carroll said.

He added that UCS has received many complaints from students regarding a lack of accessibility of “public spaces” on campus.

“I know from personal experience that just because a building may be locked to you doesn’t mean you can’t get in at all,” Carroll said. By giving more students swipe access to large communal spaces, not including residential buildings, “it’ll probably make (campus) safer. So now if you see someone climbing through a window to get into Keeney gym, you’ll think it is suspicious, rather than the norm.”

In a separate initiative, UCS First-

SEE UCS PAGE 2

COURTESY OF NICK DENTAMARO

Emerson ’23 discusses his teenage years split between Taipei, Hong Kong and New Hampshire.

Chance Emerson ’23 debuts first album Student singersongwriter grapples childhood memories

BY ALEXANDER VALENTI STAFF WRITER Sporting summery attire despite the unexpected snowfall outside, Chance Emerson ’23 and the Clementines turned Andrews Commons into a

makeshift concert hall on the night of March 6. The band enlivened the large crowd that turned up with songs from Emerson’s new album, “The Raspberry Men.” Emerson has been releasing bright indie folk-rock songs since 2017, and upon arriving to Brown formed the Clementines with four other firstyears: Jack Riley ’23, Jacob Vietorisz ’23, Satch Waldman ’23 and Will Beakley ’23. This month, the band is

playing a string of shows both on- and off-campus to promote the “The Raspberry Men,” which features nine songs written and recorded by Emerson over the last two years.

Emerson describes the album as a “microcosm” of his life from the age of 17 to 19. It is an exploration of his anxieties about getting older and the uncertainties that come with being on

SEE ALBUM PAGE 3

UNIVERSITY NEWS

U. appoints Dr. Ashish Jha as new School of Public Health dean Jha will be leaving his position as director of Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health

BY KAMRAN KING UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR Dr. Ashish Jha will be joining the University as the dean of the School of Public Health Sept. 2020.

Jha is currently the director of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He will replace the University’s current Dean of the School of Public Health Bess Marcus, who announced December 2019 that she would be stepping down from the position after taking leadership November 2017.

“Jha is a renowned global health researcher, educator and practitioner. He is also a proven administrative leader who has values and ambitions that align

very much with Brown’s,” Marisa Quinn, chief of staff to the provost, wrote in an email to The Herald.

Jha’s prompt selection was facilitated by earlier work: “The search committee in 2017 had identified (him) as a very promising candidate,” Quinn wrote. But at the time “he was not quite ready to leave his role (at Harvard T. H. Chan), and removed himself from consideration,” according to Quinn.

During the new search, Jha indicated

he would be interested in the position.

“President Paxson (P’19) reconvened the search committee and they enthusiastically endorsed the decision to offer him the position as dean of the School of Public Health,” Quinn wrote.

Jha will also join the President’s Cabinet in his capacity as dean of the School of Public Health and become a member of the provost’s Senior Academic Deans committee. “The Provost’s senior deans make up the University’s

academic leadership. … The President’s Cabinet is an advisory group convened by the president, which consists of senior academic and administrative leaders,” Quinn wrote.

Jha said he was drawn to the School of Public Health, which was founded in 2013, because “it’s an opportunity to build and grow what is still a relatively small school within a great University.” He also noted that commitment

SEE DEAN PAGE 2

News

Commentary

Review

Watson Institute’s Africa Speaker Series features social historian Healy-Clancy Page 4

Brody-Heine ’22.5: Congress must create bipartisan initiatives to address COVID-19 Page 6

“The Invisible Man” contemplates aftermath of domestic violence Back

TODAY

TOMORROW

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DEAN FROM PAGE 1

by University leaders drew him to the position.

Jha also expressed excitement about the collaborative nature of the University. “If we’re going to solve big global public health problems, the solutions are not just going to come from public health experts,” but rather from “development economists, climate scientists and urban planners.” The collaborative environment of the University “makes it a more interesting place to go work,” Jha said.

Learning more about the University will be his first step, which Jha plans to undertake even before he is appointed. Though there are topics he thinks deserve attention that are usually not given enough focus at public health schools, “near the top of the list is climate change and its effects on health,” a topic he noted is included in the School of Public

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS Health’s strategic plan. “I personally think we’re going to have to double down on that because there may be no more important public health topic for the next generation than climate change.” The Harvard Global Health Institute that Jha directs is focused on the issue.

The Harvard Global Health Institute has also been “very involved with the city of Boston in thinking about climate vulnerability specifically with a health angle. … We’ve done a lot of thinking with Boston about pandemic preparedness.” Jha said one of the critical parts of being at Brown would be to “do more locally” by engaging political and social leaders.

“Everything that I know about Brown, both as a University and the current leadership, makes me think the School of Public Health has lots of opportunities to be even more impactful. Anytime you can be a part of that process, it’s very exciting.”

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

UCS FROM PAGE 1

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

The new dean of the School of Public Health Ashish Jha is a renowned global health researcher, educator and practitioner.

Year Representatives Joon Nam ’23 and Zane Ruzicka ’23, are currently working to expand swipe access to and improve the equipment in the Bigelow Facility.

“We want to eventually give all students 24-hour access to (Bigelow Facility), or at least all students living on south campus, so including Wriston Quad,” Ruzicka said. “We also want to improve (any) broken or rusted equipment in the gym and add a water fountain.” Facilities agreed in February to install a water fountain in the Bigelow Facility, Ruzicka added.

Nam and Ruzicka began their efforts after results from the UCS 2019 Fall Poll revealed that 74.6 percent of student respondents do not have access to the Bigelow Facility. Of those without access, 46.7 percent said that they would use the gym if given access.

No requests for extended swipe access to the Bigelow Facility have been submitted by UCS yet, Bakkegad wrote in an email to The Herald. The request for extended swipe access to the Bear’s Lair was submitted Thursday, Bakkegard added.

Nam and Ruzicka hope that the extended swipe access to the Bigelow Facility will be implemented by the end of this academic year.

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Tuesday, March 10, 2020

ALBUM FROM PAGE 1 the cusp of adulthood. For him, growing up has meant reckoning with the notion of home. His adolescence unfolded across the globe — in Taipei, Hong Kong and New Hampshire. As a result, he said, “I never know what to say when people ask, ‘where are you from?’”

The songs on his album embody the times and places that have shaped Emerson. They were recorded in a wide

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

variety of locales, not only studios but organic environments, including a wooden shed on his grandparents’ property in Maine. There, Emerson allowed external sounds — his brother yelling, dogs barking — to remain in the songs. “I liked having little artifacts that reminded me of (that) summer,” he said.

Emerson also inventively explores place-bound memories in the music video for the breezy single “How Can I.”

To create the video, he had his 12-yearold brother film himself wandering the Hong Kong neighborhood where he grew up, allowing viewers a look at the area as he may have experienced it when he was his brother’s age.

As he has matured as a songwriter, Emerson said, he has gotten more comfortable with making his lyrical imagery specific and strange. His music is catchy and easily accessible, yet also shows a

dexterous play with language. “There let it freely burn / as the raspberry men in turn / burst saccharine caviar and liqueur,” he sings on the album’s titular song. On “How Can I,” he manages to pack in references to both Brutalist architecture and the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea.

On Friday, Emerson sang his literary lyrics with earnest energy, echoed by his bandmates and reflected back by

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the enthusiastic crowd. A few small mosh pits even erupted on Andrews’ carpeted floors.

While he finished recording the album before arriving at Brown, Emerson fine-tuned it over the past few months with the help of Palmer Nix ’22, sometimes spending entire days in the studio. “It was a very funny freshman fall,” Emerson said. “Like, when do I do homework?”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Guest speaker shines light on women in South African political history Meghan Healy-Clancy describes importance of women in 20th-century apartheid movements

BY GRACE PARK SENIOR STAFF WRITER Social historian Meghan Healy-Clancy gave the fifth talk in the Watson Institute’s Africa Speaker Series Monday, discussing the pivotal role of women in grassroots political movements in 20th-century South Africa.

Healy-Clancy, assistant professor of History at Bridgewater State University, encouraged listeners to consider the importance of “everyday social work” of women in both apartheid state-building and anti-apartheid politics.

The Africa Speaker Series is an interdisciplinary collection of guest lectures who shed light on political, social and humanitarian issues in contemporary Africa, according to the Watson Institute website. Launched last fall, the series has welcomed guests including Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation and research professor at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Elizabeth Foster, associate professor of History

and co-director of Graduate Studies at Tufts University, to campus.

While easily overlooked, everyday social work that female activists did was fundamental to long-term change in South Africa, Healy-Clancy said.

Forms of female organizing and resistance, Healy-Clancy told audience members, were often rooted in maternalism. “Women deployed maternal public authority to try to build a new society in the 20th century,” she said. Projecting an image of female protestors with babies on their backs on the screen, Healy-Clancy said that their activism was rooted in a public responsibility to secure a future for their children.

This early dedication to social work and motherhood formed the foundation of female anti-apartheid efforts, said Healy-Clancy. Groups such as the Federation of South African Women and the African National Congress Women’s League were built on the principles of motherhood; just as past organizations were. Meanwhile, prominent leaders such as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela began her activism in social work. Even after these organizations went underground after 1960, women exercised power through the “cultural diplomacy front,” Healy-Clancy said. Forms

GRACE PARK / HERALD

Meghan Healy-Clancy came to deliver the fifth talk in the Watson Institute’s Africa Speaker Series yesterday. of resistance included struggle songs and poetry, fiction and drama that critiqued apartheid structures.

In a later conversation with The Herald, Healy-Clancy said that while researching grassroots activism, she critically considers what qualifies as “political” and what motivates social movements. “A lot of activities that may not seem political in convention-

al metrics can be really fundamental to a social movement,” she said. “I thought about the importance of social organization to making movements possible.”

Audience members appeared to echo Healy-Clancy’s sentiments about the neglect of women in South African politics. Compared to figures such as Nelson Mandela, “I feel like

most people would be hard-pressed to know the work women have done,” said Christopher Howard, an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina, who attended the talk while visiting a friend.

Zoe Coleman ’23, who grew up in South Africa, said that Healy-Clancy’s talk made her “rethink the sexist narrative of anti-apartheid activism.”

VIRUS FROM PAGE 1

COURTESY OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL

Read Join

Three University students are currently being tested for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). While the students are currently in isolation, test results are pending.

keeping HAC members safe, the group is considering the risk University students could pose to those in the broader community.

“Being at this university specifically, where a lot of folks travel and especially for spring break come back from different locations, … I think that we are keeping in mind that we might pose a risk to the people we’re working with,” Pickett said, especially because “we often work with older folks and people experiencing homelessness who may not have access to great healthcare.”

HAC currently has no plans to cancel any of their activities, but that may change depending on what the University decides, Pickett added. “It depends on what they say, and whether or not the people that they currently are testing actually test positive,” she said. “But definitely it’s on our minds.”

News from the state Governor Gina M. Raimondo declared a state of emergency in Rhode Island Monday, as the state tries to be proactive in dealing with the spread of the coronavirus.

By easing certain regulations, the state of emergency allows state depart-

ments and agencies to better and more quickly coordinate their response. “It gives us more tools in our toolbox to take the necessary steps,” Raimondo said at a press conference Monday.

Specifically, declaring a state of emergency “will enable us to better tap into resources of the National Guard, if necessary,” Raimondo added. “It will make sure that we are first in line for any federal resources, and it gives us more degrees of freedom to address the virus if and as the need arises.”

Raimondo, the state’s Department of Labor and Training and Department of Health also announced a collection of new COVID-19 preparedness measures to support nursing homes and employers and employees.

Lifespan, which operates five hospitals in Rhode Island, suspended all visits to patients Monday, effective immediately.

Despite recent news, Raimondo emphasized that the risk to the average Rhode Island resident remains low.

“This is a time for action,” she said, “not panic.” w

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Tuesday, March 10, 2020

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | TODAY

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S U D O KU

Coffee & Conversations with the Deans 1:00 P.M. 121 South Main Street

Brown University Community Council Meeting 4:00 P.M. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center

Why Untangling Our Red, White and Black Heritage Matters 5:00 P.M. Friedman Hall

The Decolonial Initiative Presents “Unlearning Imperialism” 5:00 P.M. Watson Institute

TOMORROW Exhibition: Defiant Spirits: Fernando Brito’s Sinaloa 10:00 A.M. Nightingdale-Brown House

Master of Public Affairs Information Session 12:00 P.M. Watson Institute

POC Watson Mixer: A Community-Building Dinner 4:30 P.M. Watson Institute

Brown Gender History Workshop 6:00 P.M. Sharpe House

Q U OTE OF TH E DAY

“I never know what to say when people ask ‘where are you from?’”

—Chance Emerson ’23 SEE ALBUM PAGE 1

C O RRECT I ON

CR O S SWO R D

A previous version of the March 6 op-ed, “Reed ’21: The Case Against Bernie Sanders, Part 2,” stated that of the 78 candidates endorsed by the Justice Democrats in 2018, seven won their primaries and only one won their race in the general election. In fact, 26 candidates won their primaries, and seven candidates won in the general election.

The Herald regrets the error.

A previous version of the March 9 article, “Elections Board announces UCS, UFB candidates,” did not include Justin Perry ’23 as a candidate for Chair of Student Wellness. The Herald regrets the error.

MO M EN T OF SI L EN CE

VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

As students flock to the Quiet Green during an unusually warm winter, some take a moment to recognize the University’s connection to the slave trade by pausing at the Slavery Memorial.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

COVID-19 reveals the weaknesses of our health care system

BY LEA BRODY-HEINE ’22 STAFF COLUMNIST

“So, as you all probably know, the coronavirus has hit Rhode Island.”

Immediately after this announcement by my professor, I walked briskly up Thayer Street to CVS with the intention of buying multiple bottles of hand sanitizer and soap to stock up. As I searched the shelves, it dawned on me that others may have already had a similar urge. As it turns out, it’s not just CVS where hand sanitizer is out of stock, but warehouses as well — and there is no telling when it’ll be back. When I asked the sales associate at the counter, he told me CVS had no idea when its warehouses would be restocked. Later that day as I searched Amazon for hand sanitizer, many items read ominously underneath: “Currently unavailable.”

One 8oz bottle of Purell I found cost $60. With the exception of our mutual inability to purchase hand sanitizer, I realized I have a lot less to worry about when it comes to the coronavirus than the uninsured in America.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one should wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap and water frequently, stay home from work if sick and contact a health provider if symptoms matching those of COVID-19 arise. Simple enough, right? Wrong.

For uninsured Americans, fighting off the threat of a potential deadly pandemic is almost impossible under our current health system — and it’s not because of soaring Purell prices.

In the wake of the growing global panic over the coronavirus, Congress must set aside their disputes over health care and throw bipartisan support behind initiatives that would cover COVID-19-related expenses for all Americans.

Controlling the spread of COVID-19 re-

quires universal access to paid sick leave and adequate health care ­­— both of which are not a guarantee for many Americans. Our fractured, unethical health care system excludes millions of Americans from access to adequate care, often through exorbitantly high costs. Surveys done by the Kaiser Family Foundation concluded that in 2018, 28 million people had no

“Congress needs to get their heads out of the

sand and pass Gallego’s bill in order to protect Americans from the dangers of our own health care system.”

health care coverage. Moreover, 20 percent of the uninsured population reported going without needed care “because of cost.” This means that a significant portion of American citizens who do not have access to proper care risk going untreated if they contract COVID-19. These already troubling health care statistics become even more concerning in light of the rising numbers of infected and dying COVID-19 patients, with at least 10 states declaring states of emergency at the time this piece went to press.

Without ensuring everyone has adequate insurance to cover their costs, the government is essentially forcing someone to decide between infecting others and securing their next meal. This is never justified, especially in the event of a potential global pandemic.

Congress, which has been given the responsibility to represent and protect its constituents, must take action to at least temporarily

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cover the 28 million uninsured Americans.

Our leaders need to realize that this is the time to protect ALL American citizens instead of fighting over partisan issues.

It is not just the health of uninsured Americans that will suffer if federal action is not taken; the American health care system puts the entire U.S. population at risk. If a

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portion of the population is unable to abide by the CDC’s protocol for COVID-19­­­­— which includes self-quarantine and visiting health care professionals — it will fuel further viral transmission. The absence of treatments or a vaccine means that containing COVID-19 must be a priority, according to Director of the National Center for Immunological and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Nancy Messonnier.

But, due to America’s defective health care system and labor laws, containment might not be possible. Americans living without adequate insurance, or none at all, will likely continue to work instead of losing valuable pay, undermining efforts to contain the virus.

While it is true that Congress recently passed a bill creating an 8.3 billion dollar fund to combat the spread of coronavirus, the vast majority of these funds go toward research and innovation. Though this is undeni-

ably a necessary and valuable contribution to fighting the spread of the virus, the benefits that materialize from this initiative will only be available to those who can afford care. The fund directly allocates just 1.2 percent of resources to community health centers helping underserved groups; while this percentage does not include state-allocated funds, this resource allocation is not a sufficient measure to protect the American public and stop the spread of the virus.

On March 3, Arizona Representative Ruben Gallego announced his plans to propose a bill that would cover all treatments and testing for COVID-19. This bill would automatically qualify all Americans for emergency Medicaid, which would provide free testing and treatment in the instance of contracting COVID-19. In the face of a global pandemic, Congress must take steps to protect its most vulnerable populations. Rep. Gallego said, “Coronavirus could spread even more quickly if people avoid testing and treatment due to astronomical medical costs. Nobody should be forced to put their own health and lives … at risk because they can’t afford critical medical care.”

Once introduced, it is in America’s best interest to support Rep. Gallego’s bill, or anything akin to it, not only to help uninsured Americans but to thwart a looming deadly outbreak of COVID-19. Congress needs to get their heads out of the sand and pass Gallego’s bill in order to protect Americans from the dangers of our own health care system.

Lea Brody-Heine ’22 can be reached at lea_brody-heine@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.

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Tuesday, March 10, 2020

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Coach Behn is a positive force, not a negative one To the Editor:

The Herald’s recent article about Women’s Basketball Head Coach Sarah Behn, titled “Brown University Band will not perform at women’s basketball games in protest of Head Coach,” was quite disheartening. As someone who worked in the Athletic Department at Brown from 2015 until late 2016 as the Coordinator of Basketball Operations for Head Coach Sarah Behn, I would like to offer my own insight from my personal experiences with Coach Behn.

Because of the nature of my position, I was with Coach Behn for countless hours throughout my time at Brown and can offer a perspective that many others cannot. I attended every basketball practice and game. I attended every team meeting and event. I was in a myriad of individual meetings with coaches and players, and I was in every staff meeting with Coach Behn and her support staff. I dedicated my life to the Brown Women’s Basketball program.

Let me be clear: Never in my time with the program did I hear Coach Behn or any

other member of her staff “single out” a student athlete due to “their weight” or any other “physical” or “mental” characteristic. Never in my time with the program did Coach Behn “blame a loss” on a student athlete. Never did Coach Behn “turn on her team” or degrade our team in any way — and the list goes on from there. When student athletes were “called out individually,” it was strictly for positive reasons, such as exceptional work on the court, in the classroom or in the community.

The article published by The Herald portrays an individual that is not in any way the Coach, or more importantly, the person that I know. Coach Behn has coached and positively impacted thousands of players, staff and students throughout her decades of working in basketball. To put it simply, Coach Behn loves her players, Coach Behn loves her support staff and Coach Behn loves Brown University.

Shane Lynch Former Operations Coordinator for Brown’s Women’s Basketba Team under Head Coach Sarah Behn

Want daily headlines or weekly Brown Bites in your inbox? linktr.ee/browndailyherald Opinions pieces published in The Herald — which include columns, op-eds , letters to the editor and editorials — are written independently of news coverage.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

FILM REVIEW

‘The Invisible Man’ haunts audiences with modernization of a classic tale Elisabeth Moss’s riveting performance depicts the horrors and aftermath of domestic abuse

BY IRENE CHOU STAFF WRITER In an era of large-scale Hollywood reboots that too often collapse into a cesspool of critical disdain and overwhelming disappointment, writer and director Leigh Whannell offers a sophisticated adaptation of H. G. Wells’s classic novel “The Invisible Man.” Subverting the novel’s omniscient narrator, Whannell highlights the perspective of the domestically abused victim, Cecilia “Cee” Kass, masterfully played by Elisabeth Moss. It is through the lens of Moss’s traumatized gaze that the slow-burn psychological thriller gradually escalates, from the heroine’s suffocating isolation to the third act’s explosive violence. At a time when male predators are finally being held accountable as a result of the #MeToo movement, Whannell’s film is a timely remake that explores a woman’s fears and the trauma she endures from a relentless male abuser.

The film opens with the ominous sound of waves crashing against the shore before the shot cuts to the bedroom of a modernistic seaside mansion. Lying in bed, Cecilia carefully removes a possessive arm slung over her body that belongs to Adrian Griffin, her sociopathic, affluent optics pioneer boyfriend played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen. She proceeds to tiptoe stealthily away. The suspenseful beginning shows how her fearful escape has long been a premeditated one. In the background, the outline of Adrian remains a slumbering threat that the audience immediately learns to fear as he soon wakes and charges toward his escapee, slamming his fist into the window of her getaway vehicle driven by Emily, Cecilia’s sister, played by Harriet Dyer,

HEE WON CHUNG / HERALD

Leigh Whannell’s “The Invisible Man” has generated a box office revenue of $98.3 million as of March 8 this year, a huge success given that it began with a budget of only $7 million. This makes it the most profitable reboot of the original film based on the H.G. Wells classic. as it speeds away.

After her successful escape, Cecilia stays at the house of James Lanier, her close friend and police officer, played

by Aldis Hodge, and spends time with his daughter, Sydney, played by Storm Reid. Though Cecilia now leads a normal life away from Adrian, she is still paranoid and traumatized. Soon, Emily visits her with shocking news — Adrian is dead.

His sudden, apparent suicide perplexes Cecilia, bringing back a flood of memories of their tumultuous relationship. To Emily and James, she recounts Adrian’s absolute control of her life, from selecting her attire to restricting her mobility, then finally, to psychological manipulation. Despite news of his grisly end, Cecilia’s intuition tells her that Adrian would not give up so easily. Indeed, it is only the beginning of her torment.

Before long, Cecilia’s life begins

to unravel. From doors opening on their own to a pan of cheery breakfast set ablaze to other well-timed jump scares, odd occurrences take place.

Cecilia knows that there could only be one perpetrator — Adrian, who has faked his own death and found a way to become invisible. Yet, her voice, one of a mentally strained victim of domestic violence, is neglected. To others, Cecilia has grown increasingly unhinged as Adrian proceeds to gaslight her ruthlessly. As her sanity becomes questionable, Cecilia once again suffers the oppressive loneliness she faced in the start of the film. Only this time, she has learned that running away is not an option. Instead, she must confront her abuser.

A New York Times’ “Critic’s Pick,” “The Invisible Man” was praised for its subversion of the original material’s sci-fi horror conceit with an updated theme of domestic terror. Previous

generic reboots of H.G. Wells’ novel include Paul Verhoeven’s 2000 “Hollow Man,” which provided an unnuanced slasher take on the story, with the typical devices of male voyeurism and sexual violence.

In the familiar territory of horror, Whannell, co-writer of the “Saw” and “Insidious” series, demonstrates finesse in his screenplay and direction. Some truly maniacal moments would jolt the unsuspecting viewer from his or her seat, and one could never look at a kitchen knife the same way. Composer Benjamin Wallfisch’s nerve-wracking score, a Hitchcockian homage mixed with sinister-sounding electronics and synths, envelops the audience, filling them with a sense of dread for what’s to come.

Moss shines in an unsettling performance that anchors the film throughout — giving her character, and the mounting horror she faces, a

grounded sense of reality through her compelling expressions of fear, grief and paranoia.

“The Invisible Man” was not envisioned like this at first, however. The film was once a big-budget project designated to take part in Universal Studios’ shared cinematic universe of monsters called the Dark Universe.

Johnny Depp would star as the titular character. Fortunately, such a fate was avoided after the 2017 reboot of “The Mummy” crashed and burned.

Whannell and Blumhouse Productions were called in, and the rest was history. Topping the box office on its first weekend, “The Invisible Man,” which had a budget of $7 million, gathered a worldwide total of $98.3 million as of March 8 this year. The finely crafted film has become a commercial and critical success and a riposte to the trend of perfunctory reboots incurring big losses.