LIKE (2019)
Starring: Rebecca McDiarmid, Brodie Young, Fiona Whitelaw
Writer: Michael Frank
Director: Michael Frank
Polly (McDiarmid) and Kelsey (Young) are two teenage girls who, like so many, conduct almost all of their lives on social media. They meet their friends on video chats more than they do in person and even the most mundane parts of their day are live streamed with the intention of getting as many likes as possible.
Neither girl's home life is idyllic, particularly Kelsey's as she has been sent to live in a children's care facility. Role models are in extremely short supply and it seems the only adult with whom they have any regular contact is Brenda (Whitelaw), a local woman with a severe alcohol problem and mental health issues. Brenda is useful to the girls as she will buy them the booze they can't get due to them being under age.
A cautionary and ultimately terrifying tale based on a real-life incident, Like is played out on the various screens we know so well in this age of technology, be they from a phone camera, a Zoom chat or a website streaming channel. The opening scene is of interview footage from a police station. Something unspeakably dreadful has clearly happened and we're about to head back in time to discover what led to the tragic events which took place.
Early on, the constant quest for online affirmation is writ large. Polly and Kelsey's mantra is "like me", even if they're done next to nothing in their videos. They're trying so hard to get the love which is in desperately short supply elsewhere. Let's be honest, we all get a little buzz when someone likes a post of yours. We all need a little boost to our ego. Here, however, this is taken to its most extreme.
Polly and Kelsey are part of a wider network of friends, most of whom share their obsession with cultivating a cool online presence. One of them says "Why would you have social media if you're not going to broadcast your entire life?" and ridicules another for not putting absolutely everything on Instagram. Another chilling line of dialogue is "If you didn't put it on social media did it ever happen?".
As much as I urge you to see Like, I do so with caution. The grim view of modern teenage life it paints here is heart-breaking and never shies away from portraying contemporary issues such as self harming and online predators. The family units portrayed here are dysfunctional at best, often broken beyond the point of repair. Sarcasm is the only language with which many of the characters can identify, to the point where Kelsey doesn't even realise when one of the supervisors attempts to heap praise upon a piece of her artwork and causes a confrontation where there should never have been one.
As an audience, you're dealing with an hour of ghastly actuality even before the film gets to its most troublesome stretch as the troubled protagonists' flimsy grasp on any consequences in the online world is lost completely as a visit to Brenda's house turns into a sickening ordeal, broadcast with hideously cheery detachment and bickering banter on a video-sharing platform.
The final act, though skilfully steering away from anything which could be classed as gratuitous, is upsetting in the extreme. The casual brutality and the marrow-freezing lack of remorse shown by its perpetrators is some of the most difficult material I've watched in a while. You'll want it to cut away the moment it starts. It doesn't. The excellent performances and matter-of-fact staging just make it all the harder to sit through.
Like is a brilliant, brilliant movie. If your idea of a good night at the movies is something other than an overwhelming sense of anger and despair as the credits roll then perhaps this isn't for you. For me, movies are meant to make you feel something or they haven't done their job. This film does its job and then some. It never tries to preach about the pervasive nature of social media, it doesn't jab its finger at you and tell you it's the root cause of all the problems shown here. There are other factors at play including the responsibility of individuals and parents.
Shot on a variety of mobile devices, Like would stand as a technically impressive achievement but what lifts it way above the norm is its deft representation of a toxic online culture, a place where constant affirmation is sought and the lines between acceptable and unacceptable are becoming ever more blurred. The lack of hyperbole increases the power of the piece and the naturalistic quality of the playing across the board plunges the viewer into the damaged environment of its characters.
Special credit must go to McDiarmid and Young, both delivering astonishing, complex performances as in the lead roles. They're never anything less than totally convincing as the plot focuses on their odd, complicated relationship. Surely these are two names to keep a close eye on in the future. As to the film itself, you may not like Like in the conventional sense - its shocking subject matter makes it a problematic viewing experience - but it's a truly outstanding work which left a lasting impression on me. Highly recommended, for sure, but brace yourselves.
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