Mainstream

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Mainstream is a feature that follows Frankie, a girl looking for a means to express herself who inadvertently gets on the fast track to internet fame when she begins film a stranger she meets: Link. Working together to cultivate Link into a major internet celebrity known as 'No One Special', the film examines the rise and dangers of social media stardom. I really enjoyed this feature when it managed to zero in on the core themes it clearly hopes to explore; specifically how social media celebrity is quite dark, manipulative and devoid of accountability. Watching scenes taken from the 'Phone or Dignity' talk show or the sharp contrast between the funeral for the girl who died as a result of Link's bullying while he posts an empty apology video is extremely relevant to current culture. That last scene in which we see the truth of a vulnerable girl who died while Link pours his entire energy into stripping himself of blame for her suicide is a horrifying yet poignant moment that is the absolute best thing this film has to offer.

 

Jason Schwartzman, who played Mark Schwartz, feels like a great fit as the sleazy marketing agent for the rise to internet stardom; Schwartzman has this insatiable need to hype up every moment whenever he enters into a scene which makes his role a nice accompaniment to Garfield's.

 

However, the best performance came from Andrew Garfield, who played Link. I was so baffled by the enigma that was this character at first, he feels like a shapeshifter settling on a form initially. In a lot of ways, I felt this experimenting approach works well for Garfield, crafting a young man who is both mysterious and a chameleon. Quite like the protagonist, this guy is someone you want to solve; a person who you want desperately to be able to define. Garfield is so charismatic and naturally appealing that you are slowly won over like the rest of the characters by his peculiar charm. But once this role skyrockets into fame something dark comes to light. It's fascinating because the entitled, vain celebrity who bullies guests on his show and launches into hysterical tirades has always been present. It isn't surprising that we come to dislike Garfield, it's just we were framed to like him at first. Now the tilt into this hostile and manipulative celebrity is what we're confronted with. It all culminates into this jaw-dropping final scene in which Garfield crafts this conceited satire of an internet 'apology' video, the defining scene of the film.

The prevailing issue I took with Mainstream is that it never fully seems to understand how to depict social media culture and celebrity. Whether that be from the classic title cards at the start of the film, the amateur state of the so-called 'viral' videos, the idea that a Youtuber would segway from vlog-like content to some strange game show is but a taste of the content that doesn't really work well as social media representation. Then to top it off the film goes into overdrive to relate itself back to its social media content; including a very over the top moment in which the protagonist vomits broken heart and love heart emojis. The protagonist herself seems like a quiet witness in her own story; she pushes Link into his stardom with little motivation as to why she desires this and then proceeds to just watch from the sidelines as he implodes. The fact Frankie is such an inactive protagonist makes the plot lose a lot of its push, the only scenes that matter are the instances in which the theme actually manages to land. The cinematography for the film shows a lack of experience, with a number of poorly framed scenes or attempts at creativity that fall flat. The editing sets a very slow static pace and has a number of unique effects or transitions that are used inconsistently. The score for the film doesn't really feel like it has a presence and the soundtrack doesn't even have a very vibrant modern-indie appeal.

Maya Hawke, who played Framkie, isn't a very strong protagonist for this particular feature; Hawke has a soft presence and never really showcases how her character responds to things so much as she shows how her character watches moments play out. Nat Wolff, who played Jake, has dome this exact role quite a bit now that it's gotten a little stale; watching Wolff play the pining best friend who wants a happily ever after is about as cut and dry as one could expect.

A film that fails to really grasp or present Youtube/influencer culture well, even when trying to condemn them. I would give Mainstream a 4/10.