PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Without knowing much about this movie before heading to the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival this year, Cam ended up being a beautiful surprise, and one of my personal favorites of 2018 thus far. Through its natural ability to touch base on a relatively taboo subject matter, this is a film that will have you intrigued from start to finish, leaving you feeling curious and incredibly hyped.
When webcam performer Alice, aka Lola (Madeline Brewer) finds her channel commandeered by a mysterious lookalike, tensions and paranoias rise as she frantically tries to claim back her identity and figure out the root of the cause. With unsuspected twists wrapped in a glitzy, technologically modern atmosphere, this high-energy thriller will keep any genre fan on their toes in suspense, while giving an in-depth look towards social media and its effect on everyday people.
With a highly creative premise that surrounds itself in a soft, glowing haze of empowered femininity, director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei tap into a little something for everyone; from sheer mystery, to bubbly fun straight on through to horrific suspense, with a dash of the supernatural. All of these combined elements create a very modern world that peeks into identity theft, and the horrors of losing yourself through unnamed forces. I’m sure everyone at one point has either dealt with theft or has dreaded the thought of being locked from their accounts, so Cam hits home within our current technology-based era.
What’s great about Cam is how it operates as its own original entity, allowing the viewer to see the clashes of real life vs. an online persona through beautiful cinematography and great storytelling. When out in the real world, the colors that surround Alice are not only bland, but lack any form of excitement or pep. But as Lola, the camera pans through brightly colored rooms filled with entrancing purples and pinks, shrouded in a bouquet of glamorous furniture and vanities. The juxtaposition that these two personalities face feels very real when being scooped up into the never ending world of the web that we all experience.
The character of Alice/Lola is brilliantly written and portrayed, with lead Madeline Brewer providing the perfect dynamic between real life and career persona. As sexualized as the world of webcamming is here, Alice treats every aspect of it with an internal job mindset- she removes all personalized feelings towards sexuality when connecting to her viewers, focusing on providing what is needed to make a living. The realism being portrayed comes off as very authentic, with writer Isa Mazzei having life experience in this subject. This adds an authentic touch, making everything very believable and nonjudgmental towards a touchy subject for some.
Without a doubt, Cam will definitely be making my top five horror films of the year. It’s incredibly refreshing, fun, and suspenseful, offering a great sense of empowerment towards taking complete control of your life. This little genre gem is sure to impact its audiences in a very relatable way, on various levels. Be sure to check out Cam when it hits Netflix next month.
