Devised shortly before the #METOO movement came to prominence, Sarah Pirozek’s unapologetically angry revenge noir thriller, #LIKE addresses the fallout for a family when one of its members falls victim to the pressures of online bullying and sexploitation.
Truth be told, parents can barely keep up with how easy it is for predators to weasel their way into their kids’ lives in today’s social media-dominated society. And what’s worse is the fact that in many cases, the legal system can’t keep up either. There aren’t the laws on the books at the state or federal level to pursue the offenders. International law enforcement also struggles with legislation that lags behind technology, creating a global problem. While in the USA the FBI reports that ‘Sextortion’ is the single-largest growing threat to children on the internet, only five states in the US have made it a felony.
Written and directed by Pirozek, with many a hat tip to greats such as Alfred Hitchcock, Sam Fuller and Jane Campion and echoing horrific true stories of teens exploited and bullied by predators and their peers, #LIKE stars Sarah Rich (“Orange is the New Black”, “Law & Order”) as Rosie who, on the first anniversary of her younger sister’s death, discovers that the mysterious man (Marc Menchaca – “Ozark”, “The Sinner”, “The Outsider”) who sexploited and bullied her sister to commit suicide is back on-line, trolling for new victims. With the authorities refusing to get involved, Rosie takes justice into her own hands, discovering a much darker side to her that she never knew existed.
With #LIKE available to rent and buy on all major digital platforms from November 1, SCREAM sat down with Sarah Rich and Marc Menchaca to discuss the authenticity of the film given that it was inspired by a number of true-life cases and documentaries and how they hope the film opens people’s eyes to just how detrimental and toxic social media can be if not kept under control.
Words: Howard Gorman
