Cyberbully

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source: Cyberbully

Cyberbully is a surprisingly effective, well-paced thriller considering the small world issues it faces and the small world environment in which it takes place. Within only five minutes, I was hooked. First off the bat, Maisie Williams was startlingly good as Casey, the film's only real actress, and she carries the short film on her young shoulders. She wanes between hysterical and depressed and upset with talent that escapes her more high profile Game of Thrones co- stars. The direction is superb - the film is as taut as a wire for most of its first half. However, where the film's best and worst assets are is in its screenplay. For the first 45 minutes or so, I was captivated by the interplay between Casey and her hacker. Then when he begins goading her into committing suicide, I was taken out of the film and never got back in. Had the film concluded with the hacker being a suicide victim's father, I would have been much happier with it. Instead, it goes on and on, and whilst the conclusion was quite effective, once the hacker's motives became too dark and convoluted, it was hard to remain as engrossed as I was earlier. Overall, Cyberbully is an important film, tackling its subject matter with strength and poise, and is carried by strong direction and an amazing performance from Maisie Williams.

I did find this gripping and compelling, but it did leave me wanting. I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere and blackmail elements, but I didn't find Casey all that sincere in her apologies for trolling. I felt that her defiant attitude was predominant throughout and that her breaking down in tears was out of fear of the pictures being uploaded and not much else. Even with her shock when she Googled the girl who had committed suicide. I found her character to be unlikeable and I didn't sympathise with her. At the end the message seemed to be 'just ignore them', as she decided not to negotiate with the terrorist, as it were. Not taking the bait of an antagonistic hacker who was a troll him/herself despite saying 'I help victims of cyberbullying'. I would've liked more of a 'Phonebooth' -type plot whereby she was taught a real lesson and the 'terrorist' was more righteous in his/her avenging. A twist would've been good too - I actually expected there to be one.

As teenager Casey prepares for a night out she listens to music on her computer; strangely it keeps changing track. She contacts her friend Megan to ask if she has had problems and she says her account was once hacked. While talking Megan alerts to an offensive tweet posted by Casey's ex-boyfriend. They discuss getting revenge and a mutual friend gives Casey access to the boy's twitter account; she posts an embarrassing tweet suggesting he is impotent. She is then contacted by the boy who helped her… but it isn't… she soon realises somebody is impersonating him; somebody who has access to her computer and thus her webcam. He starts talking in an electronic voice; in his words 'like a constipated Stephen Hawking'. The voice claims to help victims of online bullying but Casey doesn't understand; surely he is bullying her. Things are suddenly turned around as he points out her online activity could be construed as bullying; she protests that she was just having a laugh until he shows her the effects of what she started. If he isn't to post topless pictures of her to the net she will have to do exactly what he says This TV drama was utterly gripping, it takes place almost entirely within Casey's bedroom and apart from people on the screen of her laptop Casey is the only character we see. As such the story succeeds or fails on how believable Casey is and thanks to Maisie Williams' brilliant performance I totally believed in her character; so much so that I barely thought of Arya Stark… her character in 'Game of Thrones'; a series that had be engrossed a couple of weeks ago. The one room setting and the fact that Casey is the only person physically in the room, and isn't allowed to leave the room, gives the story a claustrophobic feel and makes her seem alone. Shot in real time; often from the point of view of her webcam or in extreme close-up it feels as though she is caught like a rabbit in the headlights unable to avoid the fate her tormentor has planned. The nature of the story means it is the sort of thing that should be shown to teenagers as a warning; just because one thinks something is a 'bit of a laugh' doesn't mean others won't feel bullied; especially when more and more people get involved and none thinking about the target of their laughs. It also emphasises that one should be careful what one does on line and to remember that those 'special photos' can fall into the wrong hands. The ending is empowering rather than the depressing one I feared. Her tormentor's ability to hack into her computer, her phone and friends' accounts seemed a little far-fetched, although I'm no computer expert, but it served the needs of the drama. The only thing I found a bit disappointing was the strong language… yes it was totally believable but it might make some people think it unsuitable for the people who most need to see it. Overall a brilliant one off drama that should be seen by teenagers and those with teenaged children.