Writers: Hunter Milano and Noah Rotter
Director: Tyler Michael James
Low Life is a cautionary/morality tale and a study of a particularly repellent character.
Benny Jansen (Wes Dunlap) hosts a YouTube show which he uses to expose sexual predators who prey upon underage girls. Benny is a narcissist; so arrogant it never occurs to him his efforts could undermine those of the authorities or that using his real name on his show leaves him vulnerable to being traced at home by those he has exposed.
Nicole (Lucy Urbano) is a superfan determined to integrate herself into Benny’s programme. She feeds Benny information about potential predators specifically Jason (Lucas Neff) the father of one of her friends who teaches mathematics and, she claims, takes advantage of his female students. Benny, assuming the personality of an underage girl, impulsively invites Jason to his house where, along with two of Benny’s hapless friends, he plays an awkward game of poker. Benny, however, takes the law into his own hands, pushing events towards tragedy.
Director Tyler Michael James films the opening scenes of Low Life in the style of online outrage shows which assume the audience has a low attention span and so have the presenter barking speeches in a splenetic manner. Wes Dunlap fully embraces this approach for his domineering performance as Benny. Dunlap allows the character few redemptive features; despite his apparently noble objectives Benny’s motivations are selfish – promoting his own aggrandisement rather than trying to correct wrongs. Any qualms about using teenager Nicole as bait for a predator are quickly overcome and even when not on camera Benny is a bully pushing and shoving his teammates during a basketball game.
Considering Benny devotes himself to hunting sexual predators he shows little interest in sex himself. Even when two teenagers are flirting with him Benny seems more excited by them appreciating his YouTube show. Indeed, the closing moments suggest Benny’s sexual maturation may have been blocked during his teen years.
The other characters are less well-drawn than Benny. Dunlap’s performance covers up some gaps in the script by Hunter Milano and Noah Rotter. Lucas Neff stands out with an understated performance, but his character also responds to Benny’s overbearing peer pressure- in an effort to be one of the gang, he accidently confesses to a crime.
Director James nudges the film into dark comedy with Benny’s friends finding themselves accessories to murder. It stretches credibility, but Dunlap makes it believable the egotistical Benny would expect a woman he has just widowed will share his twisted worldview and agree his actions were reasonable. Yet the film never develops the momentum needed to allow audiences to overlook the plot gaps. Benny is such a bully one can accept his friends will follow in his wake even if their actions make little logical sense but once he leaves them alone you wonder why they do not just walk away from the mess he has created.
The depiction of an unrestrained narcissist is not easy to watch but despite the plot gaps Low Life remains a disturbing analysis of the willingness of social media to rely on shock tactics to generate interest.
Low Life if screening at the Raindance Film Festival 2022.
