Why has this film garnered so much attention? I’ll tell you what I noticed. Now in full disclosure, I have not seen this film as of the writing of this blog. However, there are certain things about this film of which I have become aware.
The controversy appears to be twofold: a sensationalized depiction of child trafficking and a rumored connection to Q Anon. This story is based off a true story. But that’s just it, it’s not a documentary, and as such, the creators have “dramatic license.” Me personally, I’m queasy about doing stories based off of real-life characters. While it is a work of fiction, I feel some responsibility to not mislead the audience about what happened. I am not an expert on child trafficking but I understand the basic criticism: the film focuses on the relatively rare occurrence of abduction by strangers and ignores the fact many children are trafficked by someone they know. I won’t comment on whether I agree with that characterization of the film until I have seen it.
Another aspect is there is an alleged connection between one of the movie’s investors and Q Anon. I haven’t seen the “evidence” being circulated out there so again, I don’t know how to feel about this one.
It is undeniable that the movie is very popular, even if not necessarily with critics. It was not distributed by a major studio. That’s what caught my eye. As of the writing of this blog, the film had grossed over $174 million. Usually self-distribution is the kiss of death for a film’s box office. I think independent studios need to take a hard look at what Angel Studios has accomplished. As we all try to find our way in this brutal landscape of modern filmmaking, maybe it’s time to give truly independent distribution a serious second look.
