FILM CHALLENGE: 148) The Social Network

148) The Social Network

Director: David Fincher

Year: 2010

Plot Summary: On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.

It's been tipped as the front-runner at the Academy Awards, it's being called "the film that defines a generation" by critics and it's had comparisons to both Citizen Kane and The Godfather. It's fair to say, therefore, that The Social Network is without a doubt the most anticipated release of the season. So is it worthy of all the praise? Oh God, yes.

It opens on a fall night in 2003 as a Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius, Mark Zuckerberg, sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication.

Let's get one thing out of the way right off the bat: The Social Network is neither a movie about Facebook and nor is it just a two hour advert for the company. Writer Aaron Sorkin has, instead, crafted a dark drama that exposes the greed and betrayal that led one Harvard student's website to become a phenomenon that has swept billions of people.

The Social Network is driven entirely by Sorkins dialogue with Fincher, who is usually a master of style, stepping back into the foreground. It's a brave decision yet it's one that ultimately pays off because the writing is so good. Much like Fincher's criminally underrated Zodiac, The Social Network can be seen from one perspective as a fast-paced, quick-fire work of entertainment that chronicles Mark Zuckerberg's arc of success. However, there is also so much subtext that can be found between the lines here too as Sorkin tackles the themes of celebrity, success, the switch between the analogue and digital age, and even the connections between social networks whether online or offline.

Moreover, Aaron Sorkin recognises a great irony in the creation of Facebook: That although Zuckerberg's website has brought together 500 billion people into a network where everyone is just a few finger movements away from everyone else, the man is totally alone in the world. In the terrific opening scene, our protagonist expresses a desire to his girlfriend Erica to be part of the exclusive Harvard clubs, wanting to connect with more his fellow colleagues other than just her and his best friend Eduardo. However, as he explains, he needs to do something special in order to achieve it. Yet, in the final scene, despite being the youngest billionaire in the world and sacrificing those he loved to get there, he's still a lonely man typing in front of his computer screen longing for those people to return.

The movie takes a brave risk with its characterisation of the main character making Zuckerberg a thoroughly dislikable character. While a film like Somewhere suffered for its loathsome protagonist, Sorkin has somehow managed to make The Social Network's main character extremely human despite his misogynism, sarcasm and cold personality. All in all, it's difficult not to be completely fascinated him. Jesse Eisenberg, moreover, does a stunning job in bringing the Facebook creator to life, his dialogue coming fast and emotionless like a stream of internet data while only glimmers of emotion and life flash over his straight, mysterious face.

Also worthy of praise is the performance by Andrew Garfield who gives The Social Network an emotional connection. His character, Eduardo, is the victim in the narrative and he performs it with enough subtlety to make you truly feel for him as Zuckerberg slowly axes him out of the company in a jealous rage.

Trent Reznor, famous for his band Nine Inch Nails, gives the film a contemporary feel with his blend of electronic drums, keyboards and loops that symbolises the constant stream of uncontrollable information that designed and maintains Facebook, but also has enough darkness to capture many of the themes that run through the story.

Believe the hype, The Social Network is the film that defines a generation and surely deserves to win this year's Best Picture award at the Oscars. One of the most intelligent films that cinema has produced in a long, long time yet remains thrilling, entertaining and engrossing from start to finish. It's a terrific study of society and the drive for celebrity, a fantastic portrait of the beginning of the digital world, as well as a timely look at the invention of a revolutionary form of media. Mind-blowing.

4/5

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment