FILM OF THE MONTH

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Directed by Uldouz Wallace/ Reviewed by Biplab Das The world of the internet is messy. It is the messiness of the internet that dramatically infiltrates our daily life. Hacked is a drama about how the internet can change our life. Computers, cloud storage, internet are the things that play the dominant part in this film. There are dramatic scenes in the film. The final scene is also quite dramatic. There are ups and downs in the story which make the film unique. It also sneaks into the world of hacking and hackers. This film primarily caters to everyone. But the film is going to get more appeal from the woman. For the audience, a film on hacking may not be new but a film on topics like hacking along with trolling and slut-shaming is probably new. While watching the film, I hold my breath at some points. The interesting part of the film is its unpredictability. Though the ending of the film may seem radical, it is debatable. The audience is well aware of the issues like hacking and trolling so why not a film. There is no doubt that it is a much-needed film considering the present. Director Uldouz Wallace is the right person to tell the story. She also played the lead role in the film. Her versatility as an actress and command over her craft make the film is worth watching. You can always felt her thriving presence throughout the film. Other actors also played their roles well. The writing of the film, done by Uldouz Wallace and Braxten Smith, is done so well that tells the story of our troubled time. The story of the film goes like this- in 2014, a hack of over 100 women was spread across the world wide web by a sadistic digital rapist, Tyler Fuller. Hacked is a story of one of the girls who suffered heavily because of the hacking. She fails to keep her relationship steady. She couldn’t bear that in the public eye what she has become. She couldn’t bear that her basic human rights and privacy has been violated. On the other hand, Fuller was given a mere slap on the wrist, serving only 18 months in federal prison after ruining the lives of hundreds of women. This film depicts the extreme damage that a person can do to a woman’s life by stealing her privacy. It affects everything- her personal life, relationships, virtual life, and mental peace. And most importantly at what extreme point that a person can go is also portrayed in the film. I won’t reveal what happens in the film. Because this film is not about what happens in the end. This film is about the painful life of a woman, Sarah, who struggles to cope with society. The film shows how the incident affects her psyche. While watching the film, you will uncover the vulnerabilities and fears of Sarah because of the leak. Her character is like a burning example of the time we live in where anyone with some technical knowledge can ruin the life of another person virtually. This film doesn’t deal with anything about hacking. It is more of a psychological commentary of a woman who is a victim of online crime. It is a well-timed film. The rise in online abuse has made this film watchable for everyone. This is not a sermon but a request. We need to careful with the online world and also how to deal with the perpetrators. The responsibility of a society is to help the victims rather than vilifying them. Hacked is an intense drama with a tragic ending. I give 4 stars out of 5 to this strong short.