We live in a world that increasingly grows more and more influenced by what we see on social media. Our culture is influenced by the media - both in print and digital. I’m curious how many of us out there are like The Office’s Kelly Kapoor. We follow the lives of celebrities like hawks, hoping and praying for some format of gratification. We base all of our decisions on what happens in the lives of people we’ve never met but have only ever seen in magazines and online. Long before social media existed, our craving for celebrities came in the form of tabloids. We sought to know the dirty details on our favorite chefs, actors, directors, and more.
Princess Diana’s death in the late 1990s is a prime example of our hunger for such information. As we’ve evolved in our technology we’ve evolved in what we want from those whom we consider celebrities. The disaster remembered now as Fyre Festival sought out influencers to sell tickets to their festival, all of which would later be revealed to be a hoax, as captured in the terrific Netflix documentary, Fyre. Still a recorded 5,000 people spent hundreds of thousands of dollars because they saw modern day influencers on social media post about it. We base our time, appeal, and sometimes even mindsets around modern people we elevate to deity status.
Where does the mental health lie in the midst of that for the subject or those basing their life around them? Jennifer Harrington attempts to answer that question with her Housekeeping follow-up in Shook. The film tells the story of Mia (Daisye Tutor), a social media influencer, who gets tortured on her platform of influence to play a deadly game of cat and mouse. The social commentary which Harrington brings to the forefront of Shook is very poignant. Harrington marvelously captures the shallowness that can sometimes exist within these circles with brilliant bluntness. She showcases Tutor as an authentic person with the actual problems that we can sometimes forget about - all of which play right into Harrington’s social commentary. She even goes into how we as the audience can become so fascinated and lost in hero worship that we forget what is real and what is fake. She makes a lot of good assessments that cause the audience to reflect on their own choices and views.
Shook at its core is nothing more than Scream meets Saw, though somehow it’s deeper than that. There is a level of depth that can sometimes go unnoticed within the world of horror. We come for blood and gore. Don’t get me wrong, we get that with Shook but Harrington challenges the audience to grow past mere gore. Tutor has an interesting arc throughout the course of the film. She is still a relatively new actress but she manages to carve out a marvelous strength that makes her both vulnerable and fierce. Her acting throughout the course of the film is simplistic yet layered. Tutor bringing Harrington’s heroine of Mia to life is exhilarating and yet somehow tragic all within the same breath. Tutor easily stands out among the small cast.
There are elements of Shook that feel familiar, which in turn makes some of the character actions and decisions formulaic. However, Shook stands out in large part due to its visual aesthetic. The film is plastered with videos, text bubbles, and unique formatting choices which help the film feel more authentic. It feels like how I would imagine we can sometimes interrupt social media with our likes, retweets, and obsessions. It’s such a simple effect with incredible effectiveness. These visuals heighten the sense of urgency for the characters but also speak volumes as Harrington’s social commentary. Despite some of its more predictable moments, Shook is not without its surprises. I have to give credit to Harrington for managing to divert my expectations several times in ways that manage to reinvent the narrative multiple times throughout the narrative.
Overall, Shook is a smart, layered social commentary on our obsession with influencers. Daisye Tutor is a marvelous choice to bring Mia the social media influencer to life. She carries a vulnerability and brutality to the role that helps breathe life into the film. The visual aesthetics of the film help speak into the commentary as well, allowing the audience to feel uncomfortable and be on the edge of their seat the entire time. For all it has going for it though, it can be formulaic and predictable at times. Somehow, it also manages to divert expectations you’ll have for the narrative. Shook is a pulse pounding wild ride that urges you to look inward while you’re on the edge of your seat.
RORSHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: As I’ve said throughout the course of this review, writer-director Jennifer Harrington speaks volumes about how social media can weigh on both the user and the subject when it comes to their mental health. You’ve heard us talk about it more recently in some of our podcast episodes about how a good deal of the staff here at Victims and Villains have actually taken a step back from being on social media. Caless, in particular, shared on our Malcolm and Marie episode about how he got caught up within the sense of validation that can come with likes, retweets, and shares on social media. Sometimes getting caught up within the algorithm isn’t worth your mental health.
As Mia learns in the movie there is always a price for social media glory. There is one scene in particular when one of the other social media influencers admits that they aren’t who they claim to be online. Another character even goes as far as saying who you are online isn’t always who you are in person. Sometimes the challenge of keeping the two lives separate eventually has a toll on mental health. What are you willing to pay to achieve the glory of social media celebrity? Should you take a break from social media?
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Shook is property of RLJE Films, Shudder, and Squid Farm Productions. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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