I find it hard to wrap my head around parents today. On one hand, they fret and worry over ‘predators’ and ‘grooming’ and want to safeguard their kids from the world all while they create social media accounts for them so they can be ‘influencers’ and followed by strangers.
It’s weird.
On one hand it doesn’t make sense and on the other, it’s super cynical.
Like, I am scared you strangers wanna hurt me BUT you can follow me for content.
Huh?
Weird.
I get that kids wanna do it, sure, but kids want to do all manner of things we shouldn’t let them do. Just because some other kid does it doesn’t make it right or safe.
The interesting thing about the film LIFE OF BELLE, which follows, to some degree, a young girl who wants to be an online personality, is that it doesn’t get into the creepy aspects of these things. Instead, it uses it as a way in to show the footage of what has happened to she and her family. While it may be a missed opportunity (eh, that’s nebulous though since there are oceans of kids that have social accounts and video accounts and don’t have creepers stalking them), it does offer a great ‘in’ for this footage to exist and puts the focus of the film where it belongs – on the kids.
LIFE OF BELLE focuses on the disappearance of a young girl named Belle (Annabelle) and the footage that led up to her disappearance. Belle is given a new camera by her father to help bolster her ability to create content for her online channel. It’s through her camera, and home security cameras (the footage released by the police in the hope of getting some answers they don’t themselves have) that we see the days leading up to Belle’s disappearance. What we see is a happy family that starts to fall apart. What first appears as madness though on the part of one member of the family may be something far more insidious, and there may be no answers to find.
This is a really well-made movie. Shot by a family, it’s the honest and real chemistry you see between that makes this film so good. Some of the acting and writing isn’t always there but the whole of it works well. The crazy thing is that the kids, especially ‘Belle’, do a great job. So too does the director, as they build tension that does pay off in the end.
It’s clear that PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is an influence on the film, especially with how we see the footage, but it doesn’t ape that movie or attempt to steal from it.
They have their own story to tell here.
There are issues.
The acting, as I said, isn’t all great.
And the idea that the police would release this footage is a bit far-fetched, but it doesn’t break credibility.
The ending may frustrate some but it works with the film and ends things on a chilling note. If I had a wish, it’s that there was more hand-tipping as to where the film was heading but then, not knowing is part of the mystery of it all.
I dug it.
The use of mockumentary footage here also really works and looks as real as one could hope.
Again, really impressed with what is a very low-stakes, low-budget film that works because of the chemistry of all involved and a creepy premise that does pay out.
While not top-tier, it’s worth a watch if you’re a fan of this subgenre and deserve the fans it gets.
3.5 out of 5
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 