I'll be honest when I watched this film, I was unsure about what to write or how to write about it. It raises some questions that I had been asking since I watched it. Particularly about the news industry.
Is this film an accurate representation of how the modern news industry is nowadays? Are they predatory? Do they like to prey on those who are in disasters, just to get a good story? These are just questions that I have been asking myself, they are not concrete facts or conclusions that I have taken from the film.
And yet, the film Nightcrawler pushes the boundaries on what makes the news industry and whether it falls short on the moral or indeed the ethical grounds. What I thought was incredibly effective from this film was the use of humour in the film. In some of the darkest moments, there are moments of satire. I was almost in disbelief that there was comedy used in such moments, but it worked.
Nightcrawler follows the trajectory of a petty thief, Louis 'Lou' Bloom (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who looks to find ways to make money. We see him at the beginning when he tries to secure a job, but as a result of his reputation, he was faced with a job rejection. This was until he realizes he can make money capturing footage and images of criminal activity. To do this, he appoints a sidekick, Rick (played by Riz Ahmed) who is a drifter and looking for money; this seems like a perfect job for him.
As he starts out, he films different activities and accidents that occur in the evening- then he would sell this footage to a local television news station, KWLA. this is the beginning of what I would call an acquaintance between Lou and the morning director of KWLA, Nina Romina (played by Rene Russo). We really see Lou develop from an awkward outsider to a Machiavelli-like villain.
Something to note - in the first exchange between Nina and Lou, Nina had stressed that the news station were only interested in graphic and violent footage. That was the meal ticket you see, the money maker. Which I expect is normal to be quite honest, especially in the world of the news industry. People react a lot to the extraordinary and graphic images that are posted by the news stations.
What really piqued my interest in that exchange, however, is Nina mentions that they are interested in such events happening in 'rich, white suburban' neighborhoods. If the crime is committed by someone of ethnic minority, then the story gets juicier. And they say racial bias doesn't exist.
As the film progresses, Lou starts developing extreme and insane tactics, in order to get the violent crime scenes on show. The development that we see in Bloom's descent into madness is quite thrilling and enthralling to watch. It was fascinating to see, usually when you see a character who lets greed and power take over them- they lose themselves and consequently their emotions. Lou, scarily enough was in control of both.
Credit where credit is due, this perhaps is Jake Gyllenhaal's best role that I have seen to date ( I know this may seem controversial but what's life without whimsy). What happened with Rick's character was a direct act of greed and cruelty. I won't spoil the details of that part or any parts but be prepared to be thrilled when you do watch this film. I do recommend that you watch this.
I would love to hear your thoughts if you have seen this film already, please leave a comment down below and share if you like it!
Till next time
Picture Reference: Letter Boxed (https://letterboxd.com/mattevenson/list/odeon-screen-unseen/)
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