Day 321 of the challenge! Cam is no Black Mirror, but that doesn’t stop it from being just as WTF.
Set in the cut throat world of online cam girls, Cam is a mixed bag for me. On one hand, Cam is an incredibly progressive horror flick in that it switches up the usual heroine dynamics from what we’re used to seeing in most horror or thriller movies. When’s the last time you watched a horror movie where the main hero was a sex worker? Historically speaking, horror hasn’t been the kindest genre for ladies of the night and the like, so starting the film off in the middle of one of Alice’s (your new favorite cam girl) shows and then NOT immediately killing her is a pretty jarring switch up that I really liked. On top of switching things up, Cam also forces us to not only invest in the world and struggles of cam girl life, but to root for Alice as she tries to take back control of her show from a diabolical lookalike. We want to see her win, and I can also see plenty of people already not liking this different approach, but anyway…
On the OTHER hand, the pacing in Cam is insane. It takes the majority of the first half of the film to really get rolling on things, which in turn ends up making the 2nd half feel rushed and unfocused. There are a few side characters and accompanying stories that add to the world building of cam girl life, but don’t really add much to the overall plot, making me feel that Cam could have been a much shorter AND much stronger episode of some sort of anthology series…like Black Mirror…maybe? Cam for sure has enough techno-phobia going for it for that.
Regardless, Cam is an intriguing watch with an interesting script (written by a real life former cam girl I should add) and is driven by a strong performance from Madeline Brewer as Alice.
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