Eindhoven Filmfestival: Virtual vs Reality [Reviews]

Rats & Slaves [Anthony van der Meer] ****½

Director and investigative journalist Anthony van der Meer also lectures on several subjects, including The Dark Web and ethics. He also completed a minor in hacking, and it shows in this frequently jaw-dropping documentary about a subject with which few people outside the world of ICT are familiar but which is quite worthwhile. The title refers to a form of cybercrime in which of hackers use undetectable viruses containing Remote Access Tool (the RATs of the title) to get access to computers and laptops connected to the Internet. The victims (the Slaves of the title) can hardly notice that someone is looking into their personal files, and can even take control of your webcam and your microphone! Van der Meer starts by victimising, but gradually he takes us deeper into the world of cybercrime as he contacts criminals who offer him access to Slaves’ devices for a small price. But the further Van der Meer delves into the murky world of cybercrime, the more it starts to affect his well-being. This is investigative journalism at its very best and Van der Meer deserves a lot of credit for his carefully chose comments which make this pretty complex, but extremely important subject, accessible to anyone. A must-see, even though Van der Meer offers no solution to the problem. But it’s quite clear that, for now at least, there are no easy solutions.

Swatted [Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis] *****

Director Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis combines actual footage of (mostly) kids being ‘Swatted’ with visuals that were inspired by several violent games which may be at the heart of the problem and which were used with the consent of its developers, such as Rockstar Games. The title refers to a prank aimed at (mostly young) gamers who use their livestream to share their gameplay with an audience. Trolls figure out the address of the gamer and then place a prank call to the local police, who then sends a heavily-armed SWAT-team to the gamer’s house and pull absolutely no punches as they arrest the victim of this hoax. Several victims share their experiences, and it becomes clear that some of them could have been shot on camera. A truly frightening indictment of trolling, this will make anyone think again before they expose themselves to an online audience. Brilliantly realised and extremely relevant.

Mama Mania [Vincent Sparreboom] ****

Director Vincent Sparreboom’s mother thinks she has found the man of her dreams via a dating app and even announces plans to marry him. But when she admits that she has never seen him or spoken to him (he supposedly works on an oil rig where he cannot be reached by mobile phone), Vincent quickly realises that his mom has fallen victim to a scam. Sparreboom deliberately uses long takes, either of his mother fiddling with her mobile phone, or of himself, deep in thought on his bed, and in doing so slowly draws you in. This is very inventively shot and surprisingly amusing, but Sparreboom never loses sight of the seriousness of the problem he exposes in this thought-provoking documentary short.

People of the Wasteland [Heba Khaled] *****

An extremely controversial film, but not – as the programme suggested – because ‘This film contains violence and depictions of death’. Director Heba Khaled takes us on a journey through the wasteland of Syria with a group of militia, who continually expose themselves to enemy fire. Yes, people die in violent ways, but it’s not as explicit as the warning suggests. But that’s exactly why this film is so brilliant. It is shot in such a realistic way that viewer may be led to believe that what we’re seeing is actual footage. The fact that the unit appears to be fighting for Islamic State only adds to the controversy. I was struck by the fact that it felt like you were watching a very realistic Multiplayer Wargame, and that may well be the point. It is also important to point out that this in no way a propaganda film, because what stays with you is the way in which the battle affects the soldiers’ morals. A stark, gruesome, and very thought-provoking indictment of war in general and its effects on those directly involved, this is a film you are not likely to ever forget.