The latest A24 psychological crime thriller, Primetime, has sparked debate similar to the polarizing discussion television journalist Chris Hansen brought up in the mid-2000s.
In recreating Dateline NBC’s reality television show, To Catch a Predator, the film follows Hansen’s journalistic pursuit to set up sting operations around the United States.
From Robert Pattinson’s unhinged portrayal of the predator hunter, and the film’s depiction of his sensational string of pedophilic busts, it raises a decade-long opinion from the dead––playing a protector does not make you one.
Using adult decoys and help from the citizen watchdog group, Perverted Justice, predators around the country find themselves with a camera in their face in lieu of the child they were expecting.
Hansen confronts them before they’re arrested, publicly humiliating them by reading the online exchange they are accused of having with what they think are underaged teenagers.
As Hansen pursues his vigilante investigations, the film builds on derailing the predator hunter as his ethics are questioned and his drive for exposure and fame rise.
The exploitation of the decoys is a central part of the film. It examines how the safety of the inexperienced actors was not prioritized as much as the show’s ratings were.
Dan Plum, who goes by Decoy Dan throughout the movie, dreams of earning his SAG-AFTRA union membership to take on roles that solidify him as a serious actor.
What he initially thinks is a gig for a true-crime reenactment, quickly turns sinister as he realizes he is merely bait for the online abusers.
Though the events of real life are dramatized for the sake of the film, there is the constant reminder that these encounters aren’t just for awareness––they are a crafted performance for the audience.
In creating a disturbing atmosphere, Primetime’s visuals apply exaggerated color grading, grainy imagery and unsettling close-up shots in building the tension.
Ultimately, the climax occurs when Hansen busts a Texas prosecutor, but it doesn’t go as anticipated.
Before he is able to be arrested, the prosecutor takes his own life.
That morbid operation ultimately marks the end of the three-year long TV operation.
Primetime excels in its depiction of true events that went down on the show, while examining how a serious issue was taken advantage of for profit and personal gain.
However, its real life implications don’t just start and end with the television show.
In recent years, copycat predator hunters using Hansen’s formula as a template have exploited the cause for their own gain.
Self-proclaimed catchers like YouTuber Skeeter Jean, continue to build on the issue as the sinister reality of finding pedophiles is turned into public entertainment.
Groups like Dads Against Predators are making matters worse. Its co-founder, Jay Carnicom, who poses as a minor online, was arrested and charged with battery and extortion.
Due to his illegal methods, the men Carnicom targeted were not charged.
While content creators believe they are protecting minors, their methods compromise criminal investigations, making prosecution difficult.
The same social and legal argument that followed To Catch a Predator has continued to shed a light on the modern-day Chris Hansen’s of society.
Despite its intentions to protect the vulnerable and hold pedophiles accountable, predator-hunting content has once again proven why it struggles.
When publicity and notoriety drive the hunt, true justice degrades to one that is performative.
