<\/p>\n
Logging onto the internet is a massive gamble. The moment you open your screen, you\u2019re given all the information you could possibly need and bombarded with content from around the world \u2014 content that doesn\u2019t always have good intentions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerican Sweatshop\u201d explores the consequences of the internet and its dark side. Directed by Uta Briesewitz (\u201cFreaks of Nature\u201d), \u201cAmerican Sweatshop\u201d follows the day-to-day life of Daisy (Lili Reinhart, \u201cLook Both Ways\u201d), a content moderator at the fictional social media company Paladin. Daisy\u2019s job is to purge inappropriate content from the internet, ranging from extreme violence to pornography. After witnessing a particularly horrific video, Daisy decides to investigate its origins and seek revenge on its creators.<\/p>\n
While the film deals with disturbing content, there is a surprisingly small amount of graphic imagery. Rather than witnessing the posts themselves, viewers see the characters\u2019 reactions in close, personal shots. This framing positions content moderators as the \u201cfirst responders of the internet\u201d \u2014 the audience\u2019s exposure to the posts is filtered through the characters. The moderators have to watch while the viewers are spared. This is not to say that the movie is watered down; the titles and audio of the posts paint a clear enough picture. In an interview with Deadline<\/a>, Briesewitz emphasized her desire not to traumatize audiences with graphic imagery while maintaining the film\u2019s emotion. Viewers are given the context of the video, then left to conjure the rest in their minds. The viewer becomes an active participant in the film, horrified by their own imagination rather than the images on screen.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican Sweatshop\u201d is at its best when focusing on its characters. Reinhart is undoubtedly the heart of the film. Viewers spend most of their time with Daisy, watching her struggle to cope with the disturbing content she watches daily. The weight of her job doesn\u2019t disappear when she clocks out \u2014 it follows her home, straining every aspect of her life. Shots of her sitting alone in her messy apartment accentuate her isolation. She appears distant and detached, her face illuminated by the cold light of the TV screen. The somber tone is sustained throughout the movie, aided by Reinhart\u2019s incredibly human performance. Her expressions and delivery are strikingly realistic, which makes the story even more relatable. Although audiences don\u2019t have to witness what the characters do, they still feel the effects of each post on the characters.<\/p>\n