FILM
The Gist: Faking Deaths As Reality Programming
$8.50, Plus Popcorn
It's an average day at the mall until a delusional old-timer beats a young girl to death with his walking stick. That's a typical scene from Series 7, a digital film (premiering in theaters in March) that takes place in the fictional seventh season of The Contenders, a program at the nexus of Jenny Jones, Survivor, and Cops. In each segment, six people try to murder one another until only one remains. The plot revolves around Dawn, a pregnant two-time champion who returns to her sleepy Connecticut hometown to off her high school sweetheart.
While Series 7 is rich with irony, its faithfulness to that which it mocks leaves little room for reflection. Director Daniel Minahan (who cowrote I Shot Andy Warhol) draws upon his experience producing tabloid news shows to tease out the unhealthy reverence people have for what they view on TV. As the young girl is clubbed, her parents look on, mesmerized. They can't change the channel.
USA Films: www.series7movies.com.
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