The phrase in the subject line is something that I must say several times per day to my own teenage kid at home. I can't believe I now also have to start yelling it at a cinema screen as well!
I didn't like "#No_Filter", but to be entirely honest, that wasn't just the film's fault. It was a mistake of me to watch it, as I'm not part of the target audience. Being an old man (although admittedly more in mindset than in actual years of age), I passionately hate the newest digital trends and fail to understand the popularity of concepts like vlogging and influencers. Why anyone - especially teenagers who haven't accomplished anything in life yet - thinks his/her life is interesting enough to share every moment of it with the rest of the world goes totally beyond my limited comprehension. I will also never understand why people travel to the most breathtaking places in the world, like Bali, only to take selfies with the beautiful landscapes and cultural monuments blurred in the back!
Anyway, I'm ranting, but it's also exactly what you'll have to struggle through for most of the running time of "#No_Filter". Obnoxious teenagers with their mobile phones glued to their hands, numerous shots of kids messaging each other whilst they are in the same room, endless footage of Instagram-videos of so-called influencers who have literally nothing interesting to say, gibberish phone slang about social media filters that anyone over 40 won't understand, and - of course - lots and lots of drama-queening about who has the most followers, likes, and hearts in the comments.
And yet, believe it or not, but somewhere in between all this digital revolution rubbish - and sadly only after 45 minutes of running time - there's an adequate horror story hidden! Somehow, I didn't really capture how exactly, lead girl and top-of-her school influencer Anna turns into an evil version of herself. Obsessed with the idea of launching a scare-challenge via her social channels, Anna's eyes turn pitch-black, and she live-streams herself committing vile and sadist murders.
Once the film finally shifts into gear, "#No_Filter" has several of brutal and well-handled gore sequences, and writer/director Michael Dupret even generates some suspense, notable when Anna is faced with her evil self in every mirror image or selfie that she takes. The film also has good acting performances, and considering it is Belgian (like myself) I'm quite proud that this fairly innovative idea/concept started here (even though it's not my cup of tea).
