Click Trap- (Hot Docs Review) Click here:

 Click Trap

Duration: 84 & 54 MINUTES 

Genre: FEATURE DOCUMENTARY 

Countries: SPAIN, FRANCE

Director: Peter Porta

Trailer Link: https://youtu.be/GQtcxa2becM

I saw this film during the Hot Docs Festival recently and didn't have time to write a review, but this film has been lingering with me since I watched it.  This film will haunt you every day that you go onto social media, do anything online, and even go out in public at certain places.

I don't know if you are aware of the book 1984 the George Orwell book?  When I was in school the thing they kept talking about was Big Brother is watching you.  Well, it seems that might be true and whoever "Big Brother" is now is watching you do whatever you do online all the time.  

The genie has gotten out of the bottle and is not going back in.  Life has changed dramatically since the internet became available globally.  But what seems great and free has an actual cost that you might not see but you may feel at some point in your life.  

Teens are seeing the most extreme shift in their lives as they have become addicted to social media and all things online.  They get a dopamine hit every time they scroll through their feeds.  It seems harmless, but what if entities were using the information teens are unknowingly providing?

Remember the song Sting wrote: Every Breath You Take?  In this case, it's every click you make they are watching you.

The film is told through a series of expert contributors, who expose the secrets nobody tells you when you first join an app or do anything online.

Some things I knew but the depth that they delve into in this film is shocking and scary.

Lately, I feel like I need a digital detox to spend time in nature away from the constant bombardment of screens and tracking every minute of the day.  Modern life has forced us to spend most of our time online working and connecting with friends and family.

I am old enough to remember days before the internet, cell phones, and social media.  It was a lot less complicated and we as a society were a lot more uninformed about many things.

I use social media to connect with friends, share my blog posts, and find places to go and where the best new places to eat.  But some people use it to harm others and for personal and political gain.

We are bombarded by advertising that is pushed on us 24/7 and companies are using social media to target these ads based on what we show them through our social media life.  Look at Times Square or if you are in Toronto you just need to look at Yonge and Dundas where you are being fed huge billboards filled with advertising on every side of the intersections.

This film is a must-see, and I encourage you to watch it with teens so they can learn how social media use can have a big effect on their lives.

I don't have a release date but you can schedule screenings by contacting them through their website:

The Click Trap . Documentary Official Website

Red Fever- (Hot Docs review) Native people are the original influencers

                                                    RED FEVER (Hot Docs Review)

Feature documentary - 104 minutes 

Direction: Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge

Production : Rezolution Pictures
French Title : Rougemania 

Production country: Canada

Original languages: English 

Subtitles: French

Red Fever follows Cree co-director Neil Diamond as he shines a spotlight on the stereotypes of Native people and their culture.

Neil in NYC

An insightful exploration of the origins of Native culture stereotypes and their appropriation by North American fashion designers and in film.

While the Natives were expected to assimilate into North American culture and lose their identities their identities were then stolen by everyone else. Pop culture has perpetuated stereotypes of Native culture through the appropriation of items such as the native headdress and fringes, which hold significance in ceremonial gatherings and represent protection for the Shamans within Indigenous communities. Many fashion designers and pop artists have directly replicated Native designs from historical sources to profit from them, depriving Native people of the opportunity to benefit from their own cultural capital. This exploitation also devalues the significance and functional purpose of Native attire.

It also examines how sports teams have appropriated Native names and colors for their teams, and even the tomahawk chop is performed without consideration.

The questions of when it is acceptable to be influenced by and draw inspiration from other cultures, and whether it is ethical for non-Native individuals to use these designs for commercial gain, are important to consider.

This film sensitively explores the detrimental effects of cultural appropriation on Native communities. The film is told from the perspective of a Cree filmmaker and is eye-opening. This film is both interesting and educational. It should be shown in schools because it's a part of history. It illustrates how things have been adopted and have become accepted as the norm.

This film will have its theatrical release on June 15, 2024. Check your local listings.