I know, I know – you’re probably thinking “But Angie, it’s Women in Horror Month and the first movie you pick is directed by a dude. What the hell?” But hear me out – Cam was directed by a man, yes. But it was written by a woman, is honestly feminist AF, and it centers a female sex worker who is willing to fight to regain her agency. In other words, if it fits, it sits. And Cam fits.
Synopsis:
Alice, an ambitious camgirl, wakes up one day to discover she’s been replaced on her show with an exact replica of herself.
Directed by: Daniel Goldhaber
Written by: Isa Mazzei
Story by: Isa Mazzei, Daniel Goldhaber, Isabelle Link-Levy
Starring: Madeline Brewer
My Edition:
Streaming (Netflix)
My Thoughts:
Cam is adapted from Isa Mazzei’s memoir Camgirl. I haven’t read the book yet, but it is on my TBR. According to an article by Veronica Suchodolski about the author in The Observer, “Mazzei is now getting her story out there, hoping to create art where consumers empathize with sex workers.” You can read that article here if you’d like. I highly recommend that you do. It’s a good article.
I was a little conflicted going into Cam. Knowing that it was a Blumhouse joint, I didn’t expect great things from a female-centered story. Especially since that female-centered story was being directed by a man. You know, because as Blum himself has said, “There are not a lot of female directors period, and even less who are inclined to do horror.” Yeah, I’m still on that. And I still think his “apology” read like form letter bullshit. If you want to read more about that whole thing you can get a good overview in this Variety article. Basically though, although I liked the end result a lot, I do wish that it had been helmed by a woman. Although it does seem that Goldhaber must have recognized the importance of not dude-ing up this very female-driven film, which is awesome.
I have to say though, that I was pleasantly surprised by Cam. What could have easily devolved into a ‘stone the whore’ type film stayed true to its core message. Or at least what felt like the core message to me: there is nothing shameful about consensual sex work. And also, technology as a whole, the internet, and unchecked capitalism all have their downsides.
In Suchodolski’s article on the book, she said the following, and I think it holds true here as well:
“Mazzei doesn’t need you to want the job, nor does she need you to see sex work as a spotless industry that needs no restructuring. She just wants you to let the people who do want it to work in peace.”
Cam also definitely gives off those vibes. Alice is not a sex worker because she’s “damaged,” she’s not being coerced, she doesn’t have “daddy issues.” She’s not portrayed in the way that most media portrays sex workers. It’s such a welcome change from the entertainment norm. Alice does cam work because she wants to. She enjoys it, and she’s good at it. She treats it like what it is – a job. And when she gets hacked/taken over, it is an affront on both a personal and professional level.
“You stole my face and now I’m going to get it back!”
Alice fights back right from the get-go. Even though she doesn’t know what is going on at first, she dives right into finding out. She isn’t taking any of this lying down. And Alice is a fucking force. She is played wonderfully by Madeline Brewer, who you may recognize as Janine Lindo from The Handmaid’s Tale.
She plays the part of Alice/Lola (Lola is her camgirl alter ego) perfectly. Brewer was in complete control of her portrayal at all times, and was totally believable as her character spiraled down into a Black Swan-esque battle for her own life and sanity.
I’ve seen a lot of reviews of it online saying that it was fine up until its “weak ending,” but I don’t see that. I liked the ending a lot. The general consensus seems to be that there were a lot of loose ends left dangling. But again, I don’t see that either. I felt it all wrapped up nicely if you were paying attention. We know (or at least heavily suspect based on context) exactly what happened, and why her method of resolution made sense.
Rating:
Cam Directed by: Daniel Goldhaber Release Date: November 16, 2018 Blumhouse Rated TV-MA 94 Minutes
