Primetime
The true story of To Catch a Predator: the US show where the producers would catfish potential child abusers online, lure them into a house, then the host Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) comes out and reveals they are being filmed.
I was aware of this show back in the day but hadn’t realised it had come under such ethical scrutiny. Perhaps it says a lot that something like this seems normal for America, where making entertainment out of horrible crimes is not frowned upon. In fact, I’ve used the words ‘only in America’1 before when describing Oppenheim’s work so perhaps this subject is a natural fit for him.
The film is a heightened, surreal, anxious psychological thriller that takes its incredible lead performances (Merritt Wever as the producer as well as Pattinson) and sort of wraps itself around them. It feels like every little tick or gesture somehow influenced the edit and look of a scene.
Sometimes the tone and pace of it are irritating, with some scenes dancing around some sort of point we never really get to. At other times it’s completely captivating, like ‘Nightcrawler’ on acid and on film.
On balance definitely a film worthy of your time, and a great non-documentary debut from Lance Oppenheim.