Profile | SXSW 2018 Film Review

Here’s what I learned from Timur Bekmambetov’s newest film, Profile: don’t care too much about your job because you just might die. I’m sure there are more profound messages in this film, but hey, we all have our different points of view. So when my boss asks me to go that extra mile, I am going to have to tell him I would love to, but being immersed in such a task may cause me to lose perspective on what reality is. I’ll let you know how that works out.

A struggling journalist goes undercover to infiltrate ISIS and tries to expose their recruiting tactics, processes, and pipeline for the drastic increase in western women joining their forces. Amy is struggling to formulate the angle for a story promised to her editor when she is contacted by an ISIS recruiter. Sensing ‘this is it’, she coordinates with her editor and IT guy to capture all of the conversations both via messenger and Skype. Juggling the ever growing commitment of contact throughout the day and night with the recruiter, Bilel, and her impending move to live with her boyfriend Matt, Amy’s life begins spiraling downward at a rapid pace, completely captured on a computer monitor.

This is what makes this film unique. Bekmambetov’s bold decision to have the entire movie captured on the screen of a computer. No busy city streets. No epic landscapes. No CGI dragons or laser battles. It is all Skype, Facebook, and on screen Post-It notes. Full disclosure here, I am very hesitant to watch a movie that is in an isolated location. They tend to limit the possibilities of what can happen and become very predictable. This is so much NOT the case with this movie. Bekmambetov is masterful with gradually building the suspense as Bilel’s grip grows tighter and tighter around Amy, like a python slowly squeezing its prey to death. Profile is so engaging that you feel as if you’re spying on someone instead of watching a movie, as if we were violating Amy’s personal space.

Valene Kane (Rogue One, The Fall) is captivating as the ambitious Amy. Especially when you consider that for the vast majority of the movie all we are exposed to is just her face and voice. Her realistic portrayal of someone juggling work and life easily draws the viewer into her world. Shazad Latif (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) plays the uber-charming ISIS recruiter, Bilel. Always smiling and having fun, this man is damn good at what he does, and it’s instantly understandable how an impressionable person may get drawn into something so evil, no matter what their background is.

The bottom line is this: Profile is why we go to the movies. This is why going to a film festival is so much fun. It’s not always about what’s flashy and pretty. It’s about giving the viewer a new experience or taking them to a new place. Bekmambetov’s visionary style is raising the bar in Hollywood and propelling us forward into new, exciting methods of storytelling.

P.S. The boss reminded me that my reality will be found in the unemployment line if I didn’t get back to work so maybe going that extra mile isn’t so bad after all.