Inside jokes don't usually land when the whole world is listening.
What it's about
This is the story of how the popular website 4chan went from a platform to popularize memes, to a hub for spreading misinformation and enacting vigilante fantasies.
The take
The documentary offers a simplified, reflective look at the origins of meme culture and hive mind, and how online anonymity has led to toxic beliefs and behaviors in real life. It features a nostalgic collection of 2000s memes and references that awaken the sleeping cringe, as well as valuable insights from people who have contributed to or lived through the destructive milestones that ironic memes created. At best, it is an informative work that doesn't waste time or become so overwhelming—it even comes with short, entrancing animations that serve as a respite from the depressing subject. At worst, it's preaching to the choir.
What stands out
The cult of anonymity is sadly immortal.
Comments
Add a comment
Your name
Your comment
UP NEXT
UP NEXT
UP NEXT
More like this in
Lilting (2014)
A thoughtful, heartbreaking debut feature where shared grief bridges two different people
7.2
Santa Sangre (1989)
A terrifying circus act straight from Alejandro Jodorowsky’s nightmares
7.4
Drowning by Numbers (1988)
Peter Greenaway plays with structure and numbers in this surreal, quirky crime comedy
7.9
System Crasher (2019)
A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.
9.0
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Lars von Trier breaks his rules in the tearjerking first film of the Golden Heart trilogy
8.1
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Shyamalan meets Black Mirror in this hugely entertaining, visually inventive apocalyptic thriller with a killer ending
8.2
Hail Satan? (2019)
Forget everything you think you know about the Satanic Temple
8.0
I Lost My Body (2019)
The Oscar-nominated unconventional animation
8.2
Problemista (2024)
Dark, weird, poignant, and funny, this debut feature by Los Espookys star Julio Torres is a modern parable of the American Dream
8.6
Wind River (2017)
Sicario's screenwriter directs this story of murder in an Indigenous reserve