Profile

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

Profile follows a British journalist going undercover and infiltrating the digital propaganda channels of the so-called Islamic State, which has been mobilizing ever greater numbers of women from Europe. Her daily Internet contacts with an ISIS recruiter gradually pull her in and push the limits of her investigation. The makers of this have been hyping it up ever since the announcement of its release. Technically, it is a wide release, but I don't think I've seen it playing anywhere. Fortunately, I received a screener and watched it on a whim. The movie has a lot going for it. The story is quite interesting. It's inspired by a true story which makes it all the more crazy and intense. This is a really intense movie especially with how fast it goes by. There were times where I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to see what move was to be played next. Valene Kane as Amy is really good. This is the first I've seen her in a lead role, but she carries the whole thing. She has to have two different personas-one personal and one for her interviews- but slowly they mold into one. Amy is a developed character. I wish the others were a bit more. Shasad Latif's character does have a good amount of development, and it works it the favor of the message and script. But with the twists and turns, it's dulled down to the obvious.

All of this is good, except one major thing. With the success of Unfriended and Searching, Profile utilizes the computer screen format. In some cases this does work in creating the anxiety. Honestly, though, all it does is limit the potential. Like I said, there's so much working for it, but that just doesn't always work. So many side plots are either not talked about enough to understand, or just dropped entirely. For example, there's a relationship and we hardly know a thing. The thought was there, but the execution kind of drew away from all the good. The conclusion didn't really feel like much of one. It had a chance to end on a different note to add more tension, but it ended just 10 minutes later. For almost every good thing, there's a disappointing aspect just around the corner. I will say I did enjoy Profile. It's not one I feel like revisiting, but with the direction by Timur Bekmambetov it's promising to those who are interested. And who knows, maybe someone will appreciate the computer screen aspect.

Amy Whittaker (Valene Kane) creates the Facebook profile of alias Melody Nelson intending to attract attention of ISIS recruiters as part of a Gonzo journalism story chronicling the recruitment processes of European women ho then join up with ISIS. It isn't long before Melody's profile attracts the attention of Bilel (Shazad Latif) a handsome and charismatic man who establishes a rapport with the Melody persona eventually becoming seemingly romantic in nature with the lines between Melody and Amy seemingly blurred.

Adapted from the non-fiction book, In the Skin of a Jihadist by French journalist Anna Ereklle, Timur Bekmambetov directs and co-writes this film inspired by the actual story using the "screenlife" filmmaking style he helped popularize with the unfriended movies, and legitimized with his production of the John Cho thriller Searching which gave the format critical legitimacy that had been lacking from the more horror based narratives around the format. Profile has been completed for about three years with festival viewings occurring as early as 2018 and only recently received a release in 2021 where it was quietly released due to the ongoing pandemic. I'm not quite sure exactly why Profile has been sitting on a shelf so long as aside from the screenlife format it's a very familiar undercover/"in too deep" type narrative that will be familiar to those who've seen this type of story, but it is mostly well done.

Much like how Searching took traditional thriller tropes and applied them to the social media age, Profile does the same with undercover story tropes and plays with the ideas of how ubiquitous and easily accessible the internet and social media has made far reaching places around the world. When we see Amy setting up her account to give the impression of a displaced young woman who's flirting with radicalization it's a good sequence as it shows us how easily we can create an image that distorts the truth of who you're interacting with and creating a façade that is indistinguishable from a real life person. When we see Bilel it's a really strong introduction because he's not overly dominating or angry and has a laid back charisma that makes it believable as to why he'd be able to draw people in. Shazad Latif is really good in the role adding just enough humor to make him relatable, but also enough tension beneath the surface to make him a threat. Amy Whittaker I was slightly more mixed on. While I think Valene Kane does well in a role that is not an easy one, I think the role feels very shaky as the movie often shows her making really obvious mistakes and flubs, but also gives us the sense she's got a tenuous grasp on the situation and makes her seem overly fragile and suggestible. Admittedly I have not read the book so I'm not sure how much of the latter half of this story is drawn from the actual story, but as it's presented it makes it hard for me to believe Amy would fall for a man while still having research notes on another woman who was stoned to death for trying to leave ISIS.

Profile raises some interesting questions about the internet and social media's usage in international terrorism and radicalization, but it does so around a story that gives the audience a bit more than they're capable of swallowing with a "romance" angle that feels hard to buy especially with how mentally unstable our main character seemingly is. The novelty of the format is well utilized and the cast do a good job for the most part so I do recommend it, but it doesn't reach quite as high as it could have.

7/10 - probably my least favorite of the Screenlife thrillers (I have an unhealthy obsession with Unfriended and Searching), but still a really interesting true life story about ISIS recruiting all on the computer screen.

I don't know why this movie doesn't have more exposure or popularity. It was a unique and well executed movie that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The fact that it's based on a true story makes it even better in my opinion. The desktop production gives you a very realistic feel. How someone can make an entire movie via FaceTime/Mac computer screen and it NOT get boring is down right amazing to me. The plot of this film opens your eyes and makes you understand how people can get drawn into these terrorist type groups or how normal every day people can be easily influenced to do the wrong thing. Loved this movie from start to finish. Very well done!

516. Profile. The whole movie takes place looking at a laptop screen, I thought I was going to be bored out of my mind, but I was wrong, it was well done. Again though, the trailer is most of the movie. But that is just the way things are these days, no surprises in cinema released movies. The story is about a journalist, Amy, posing as another younger girl, Miranda, and how she comes in contact with, Bilel who's part of a terrorist organization, and how that organization recruits young women from foreign countries, promising them love, then sell them into slavery. What a world!! It shows Amy's relationship with Bilel and how his words may be working on her, shows her work life and social life spiraling out of control! So basically, it's a public service announcement brought to you by Skype, Facebook, and Microsoft on watching who you talk to over the internet! Builds up to a pretty scary ending, that's apparently based on a true story, swell. Filmbufftim on FB.