TIME: Primetime with Robert Pattinson presented at the Venice Film Festival
The feature film Primetime, in which Robert Pattinson plays TV host Chris Hansen, was presented at the Venice Film Festival. It is the first narrative feature by documentary filmmaker Lance Oppenheim, TIME writes.
A plot about a television show
The film is set in 2006. Hansen and his producer Andy, played by Merritt Wever, get an opportunity to move the program to prime time. The film tells the story of the rise and decline of the American show To Catch a Predator, hosted by Hansen.
As TIME describes, the show was based on online correspondence initiated by the organization Perverted Justice to identify potential sex offenders. People were lured to houses with hidden cameras, where Hansen and the film crew awaited them; this was usually followed by an arrest. The program also involved decoys — people with youthful appearances who pretended to be minors.
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Decoys and the host
In Primetime, singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers plays decoy performer Del, who can portray both a boy and a girl. Skyler Gisondo plays newcomer Decoy Dan. His character wants to become an actor but has doubts when he sees the humiliating side of this work. In the plot, Hansen persuades him to stay, assuring him that he will thus help fight evil.
Pattinson's character becomes increasingly captivated by his own influence and, together with the team, tries to lure a “big fish” into a trap — including a high-ranking government official. The TIME reviewer called Pattinson's performance one of the main reasons to watch the film, noting his precise theatrical diction and unsettling portrayal of the host.
TIME also draws attention to the film's grainy visual style and segments imitating video recordings from the early 2000s. In the reviewer's opinion, the film raises questions about the morality of creators of sensational television, but does not always clearly articulate its own position.
