Aaron Sorkin’s new film explores the negatives of big tech for American democracy and the vital role journalism plays in holding companies accountable.
Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning” released Oct. 9, following the 2021 Facebook leaks. It serves as a sequel to David Fincher’s 2010 hit “The Social Network.”
A sequel?
You’ve probably heard of Fincher’s “The Social Network” as the film that retraced Mark Zuckerberg’s footsteps in the creation of Facebook. “The Social Network” glorified Zuckerberg compared to “The Social Reckoning,” which portrays him as a tech genius forged in a Harvard dorm room.
It’s not a typical sequel, featuring an entirely different cast and directed by Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay for “The Social Network,” but didn’t have a hand in directing.
The story follows Frances Haugen, a data engineer at Facebook, who reached out to Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz and spoke up about the dangers of Facebook’s algorithm in 2019.
This led to Haugen becoming one of the biggest whistleblowers of her generation and Horwitz winning a Pulitzer Prize for exposing Facebook’s dangerous tactics to attract clicks.
One of the strengths and attractions of this movie is its star-studded cast. The three-headed monster of Mickey Madison, Jeremy Strong and Jeremy Allen White puts their talents on full display.
Coming off a stellar Oscar-winning performance in “Anora,” Madison plays Haugen, who works on Facebook’s Civic Integrity team.
Haugen believes in Facebook’s mission and ability to connect people so much she feels forced to alert the public about Facebook’s manipulative algorithmic techniques. She is traumatized after stumbling upon an old friend of hers on her Facebook feed, who became radicalized due to far-right group chats on the platform.
In parallel, we meet Horwitz (White), a newly hired tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal.
Paradoxically, Horwitz is an amateur when it comes to tech, unfamiliar even with his car’s navigation system. He’s an old-school reporter transitioning from D.C. politics where he used handwritten notes and pager phones to exposing the globe’s biggest tech company.
Enjoy what you’re reading? Get content from The Daily Cardinal delivered to your inbox
Strong plays a power-hungry and money-driven Zuckerberg, ready to do anything to reach his goals. Throughout the film, Zuckerberg emphasizes he’s no longer a kid in his dorm room that can get pushed around.
Strong, infamous for his role in the television sensation “Succession,” excelled as Zuckerberg. His body language, short line delivery and robotic smile created the impression that Zuckerberg was on the screen. His lines, similar to Zuckerberg’s in real life, were concise and short. It creates a feeling of disdain, as Zuckerberg feels like the smartest person in the room and talks down to people in every scene.
Strong played a similar cold-hearted, power-hungry role in his recent film “The Apprentice,” which shows he was built for this role.
Bill Burr plays Charlie Karrigan, an old friend and advisor to Zuckerberg. He adds great comical touches in his scenes whilst showing how his old friend is distanced from reality.
Sorkin is still making his mark as a director. He proved himself as a writer in “Moneyball,” “The Social Network” and the Steve Jobs biopic.
Previously, he has directed three films: “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Being the Ricardos” and “Molly’s Game.”
The directing was sound and sober, similar to a Wall Street Journal article.
The film is also split into four parts, each marking a distinct step in the storyline. It switches timelines, jumping back and forth from 2019, when Haugen and Horwitz start collaborating, to 2021. In the later timeline, Zuckerberg is preparing for trials in front of the U.S. Senate, which also happens to be when Horowitz’ story gets released.
The cinematography was not mind-blowing, but it didn’t feel like it needed to be, since the dialogue, intensity and heavy information made up for it.
Sorkin nailed the balance between journalism newsroom humor and lightheartedness between characters with tense scenes exemplifying Zuckerberg’s and Facebook’s power and intimidation tactics.
The screenplay also did a good job staying dynamic as the audience constantly learned about a new file or proof in the case. At times, the tech jargon can get a little confusing, but they do a good job explaining the main ideas.
The most powerful scene of the movie retraces when Zuckerberg learns about the ongoing Jan. 6 riots. Thousands of protesters attacked the Capitol to invalidate the election results.
Horwitz did so by showcasing Zuckerberg’s shock and failure to stop Donald Trump from spreading messages on his platform encouraging the attack on American democracy. The scene was dramatic, well shot and eye-opening on the dangers misinformation poses on social media.
“The Social Reckoning” serves as a reminder of the powerful tech oligarchs present in the U.S.
Even as the Wall Street Journal’s series of investigative pieces is coming down on Facebook, they still try to intimidate Horwitz by telling him Facebook is above politics.
This movie also shows that despite a certain decline of traditional news in favor of emerging social media, journalism remains an imperative aspect of democratic societies in order to hold powerful people accountable.
Support your local paper
Donate Today
The Daily Cardinal has been covering the University and Madison community since 1892. Please consider giving today.
“Using your voice to express something–anything”: Grammy-nominated artist Michael Mayo delivers exceptional performance at Memorial Union
John Green continues to make art. He thinks you should too.
