Let’s Talk About the Ending of I Love Boosters

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Boots Riley’s new film, I Love Boosters, is a wildly imaginative and politically charged story, staying true to his unique style. Following his 2023 series I’m a Virgo, the movie centers around the Velvet Gang, a group of shoplifters who are seen as heroes in the Bay Area. Led by Corvette (Keke Palmer) and her friends Sade (Naomi Ackie) and Mariah (Taylour Paige), the gang steals clothes from stores and sells them at affordable prices to their community – a practice Mariah calls “fashion-forward philanthropy.” They’re experts at creating distractions and outsmarting employees, particularly at Metro Designer, a fast-fashion chain. However, the situation becomes personal when Corvette discovers that the owner of Metro Designer, famous designer Christie Smith (Demi Moore), has stolen one of her original designs. Fueled by a desire for revenge, Corvette and the Velvet Gang plan to rob every Metro Designer store they can, and they find an unexpected partner in Jianhu (Poppy Liu), a Chinese factory worker who also has a score to settle with Christie. Jianhu brings a high-tech teleporter to the table, taking their already ambitious plan to the next level.

Okay, so the movie is visually stunning – seriously, the production design is incredible and those wide shots are unlike anything I’ve seen, thanks to some custom lenses. But beyond all that, the themes are actually pretty easy to grasp. It basically says shoplifting isn’t that bad when huge corporations are constantly taking from us. It also points out how awful fast fashion is, with its terrible treatment of workers. And it tackles this idea that we’re all supposed to be unique individuals expressing ourselves through what we buy, when really, our strength comes from working together. Riley lays all this out pretty clearly – it’s the core of the whole film. But then, towards the end, things get weird. They introduce this concept called ‘The Skins,’ and honestly, it’s so out there it deserves a closer look. Let’s dive into that.

What are the Skins?

I used to really look up to Christie. I even read her autobiography, Coming Up Christie, and strangely, I found myself agreeing with her ideas – she always talked about how leaders just get things regular people don’t. But then she started attacking the Velvet Gang, my friends and me, all over Instagram and in interviews, and I realized who she really was. We were furious! That’s when we all took jobs at Metro Designer, hoping to figure out what she was working on – rumors were flying about a $100,000 suit she was secretly designing, and we needed to know what made it so special. The mystery of that suit drove us forward. Eventually, with the help of Jianhu’s amazing teleportation device – it can also speed things up and break objects down – we were able to disrupt her fashion show, turning all her designs into simple fabric. But more importantly, we used the device to get to the Chinese sweatshop where her clothes were made. Jianhu used to work there, and we wanted to help the workers who were on strike against their unfair treatment.

During the fashion show, Corvette and Sade stumble upon a room meant to house $100,000 suits, but instead find a collection of people who represent the fringes of the film’s story. This group includes characters like Dr. Jack, a con artist who runs a multi-level marketing scheme, and “Crying Black Mother,” a woman interviewed on the news who paradoxically calls for both increased policing in Black communities and higher rent. Also present is “Upstanding Community Member,” who complained to a reporter about the “trauma” caused by a work strike, claiming he values “the freedom of lower pay.” Throughout the series, whenever the character Christie criticized the Velvet Gang, brief clips of interviews with these individuals – including “Based Young Dude” – would appear, showcasing their absurdly conservative viewpoints. When Corvette and Sade threaten them and demand the suits, the group sheds their skin and faces, revealing Claymation-like bodies of blood, muscle, and bone underneath.

Wait, what? So what do the Skins mean?

The “Skins” are realistic human suits, disturbingly similar to the ones Buffalo Bill created in The Silence of the Lambs. The people inside aren’t wearing costumes, but actual suits made of skin, and they work for a think tank called Forge Democracy, which is connected to Christie. Corvette discovered information about the think tank and a photo of Christie with Barack Obama while investigating Christie’s apartment. Earlier in the film, Christie’s statements about fashion and changing the world seemed like typical designer ambition. However, the Skins are her genuine effort to do just that. The think tank’s employees have had their own skin surgically removed to wear Christie’s suits, allowing them to convincingly promote any ideology – whatever their highest-paying client demands. It’s as simple – and horrifying – as changing clothes.

According to the film, these think-tank employees are skilled at shaping public opinion and even influencing culture, using different personas to do so. This leads them to promote the interests of powerful figures like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, and to support policies favorable to police, landlords, and corporations, while being detrimental to workers. In a humorous scene, the film reveals they even posed as Candace Owens. They’re presented as a type of ‘crisis actor’ – a concept popular among conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, who believe events like school shootings are staged. While Jones imagines these actors are hired to suppress freedoms, the film suggests these think tanks are simply selling their principles to the highest bidder – a far more believable scenario.

Okay, but what do the Skins really mean?

Beyond their connection to Christie and shared hatred of the Velvet Gang, the characters known as the Skins are united by how we first encounter them: on television news. These individuals – “Crying Black Mother,” “Upstanding Community Member,” and “Based Young Dude” – all publicly expressed opinions supporting the wealthy and opposing the working class, and the film frequently shows clips of these news appearances. While it might have felt more current to portray them as social media influencers, the director consistently critiques mainstream media as a way to promote his message of independent thought and solidarity among workers.

The film Sorry to Bother You follows Cash Green, a telemarketer who discovers a shocking secret: Steve Lift, the CEO of a powerful company called WorryFree, is turning his workers into bizarre human-horse creatures. Cash attempts to expose this modern form of slavery by going to the media, but news channels actually celebrate WorryFree’s ‘genetic advancements’ and praise Lift as a financial savior. Ultimately, it’s a strike by Cash’s coworkers and a rebellion by the Equisapiens – not journalism – that brings Lift down.

The show I’m a Virgo presents a comparable situation: billionaire Jay Whittle (Walton Goggins), who is openly racist, receives positive media attention despite his harmful behavior, particularly towards a teenager named Cootie (Jharrel Jerome). Because of his size, Cootie is wrongly perceived as a threat, and the news sensationalizes this, calling Whittle a hero and Cootie the “Twamp Monster.” Cootie is forced to watch someone discuss him negatively on television. Just as before, it takes a rent strike that escalates into a larger movement for people to discover the truth about Cootie, reject Whittle’s narrative, and ultimately fight for what they deserve.

The ending of I Love Boosters – with striking workers in China and at Metro Designers causing a global movement that pushes Christie to improve working conditions – strongly reflects Riley’s political views. And, consistent with Riley’s overall body of work, the Skins deliver this message in a particularly over-the-top and unconventional way.

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2026-05-22 19:55