Caught in the Net

According to their blurb, Caught In The Net is the story of how “a documentary exploring the world of online sexual abuse of children succeeds in turning an experiment into an act of social intervention.” How much does it succeed in achieving these objectives? The answer is plenty; by and large it does a credible job, complete with redeeming qualities of persecuting social justice whilst creating a work that embodies the art and craft of documentary film making.

The film-makers basically setup a sting operation to trap online sexual predators on the prowl for underage sex victims. They auditioned and hired three young actresses who appeared, and gave such credible performances, as typical preteens on age-appropriate social networks. The elaborate setup meant the ‘girls’ spent time in a purpose built set of 3 preteen bedrooms, pseudo identities, and a full documentary crew monitoring every moment of their interactions with various pedophiles, predators and perverts from within minutes of joining these purportedly child friendly platform.

It is an unflinching look at what 21st century life has become thanks to the influence of social media. I mean the sheer willingness of perpetrators to expose themselves both literally and figuratively is an indictment of the moral decay in society today. The premise of the documentary is sound, insofar as the subject matter warrants such a high level of scrutiny. I don’t normally get personal, but the range of perverse footage captured were so commonplace that the perpetrators seemed mildly surprised at the film-makers taking it all so seriously. It is evident that a lot of underage grooming, child abuse and sexual assault are taking place everyday, powered by the Internet, but it comes across that not enough is being done, or can be done to stem the tide.

As a documentary, this work is focused on telling a no-holds-barred tale of modern perversions, echoing a Lolita playbook, and the fantasies of older male authority figures preying on much younger females.  There is nothing quite as pathetic or sad as lonely, middle-aged men exposing themselves on the computer screens of girls young enough to be their grandkids. The actresses, film crew and directors deserve accolades for their grit and resolve in dealing with such a dark topic. Long may it continue!