Paedophilia is a very uncomfortable topic, to an extent that I am here, after neglecting this blog for years. Instead of further extending the topic, I cowardly demonstrate my avoidance towards it, by bringing in what other aspects I observe in the movie.
Full of ignorance, I walked into the cinema without knowing the movie is based on true event, which explains my discomfort. It feels like a documentary yet a narrative film. After all, documentaries are the director's specialty. And the reality television show style used in "To Catch A Predator" also brings along the feeling of God's perspective. Audiences are the third person watching all the happenings. It is not easy to explain and describe, perhaps because of the contradiction of so near watching yet so far detached from it. It is this confusing distance that raises the question on how far such reality television show can go.
At the same time, getting to understand the intentions behind each character and motives deep down, from Hansen the journalist, Andie the producer, Perverted-Justice founder Xavier to decoy Dan.
The desire to occupy prime time is burning and becoming stressful in the industry. To be a number one show starts obscuring the original good intentions no matter how big and morally they were. Lack of recognition for those behind the scene is making it difficult to keep the spirit going. The acting industry has its humiliating hurdles as well. Sometimes, an actor does not even worth more than the marketing of a thong online. Getting on television for 0.1 second is literally for the sake of getting a union membership card.
The discomfort of the movie is not just those child predators alone. The entire movie is filled with heaviness.
When it comes into acting, Robert Patterson finally picks good roles to present himself as a real actor. Happy and impressed to see such great effort and performance. Skyler GIiondo also did very well. Personally, I find his role is much more difficult than Patterson's, especially the last part where he had to take over Hansen's role. Salute to the voice and accent he worked on.
This movie is worth watching definitely. There are so many topics involved that can be explored. Just prepare for the uneasiness before walking into the movie theatre. Good luck!
