this film is very much a thematic successor to it’s previous film *First* by including a lot of similar ideas about wanting to be desired, about how we present ourselves online, and focusing on social media without showing social media.
on a technical level, this movie succeeds at what it does quite well. it has some excellent steadicam shots, it’s blocked well, it has some really great editing and music, etc. what it looses for me, personally, is the angle it takes this time around with it’s themes. the director’s debut, *First *utilizing subtitles as a way to convey the presence of social media felt a lot more impactful than *Negative Two’s* choice to use voice-overs. i liked that the voice-over performances were quite flat, almost as if the person typing the message was asked to read it out loud as they typed it, but it took away from the immersive experience of how it feels to get those kinds of messages during your daily activities. the quiet text at the bottom of the screen demanding attention.
this was a good film about wanting to be seen, yearning, and sexual desire that’s ever present in social media, but one that i think could’ve been stronger.
