The internet has irrevocably changed how we relax, play, consume and work. The adult entertainment/sex industry has probably been transformed the most by new technologies and the myriad of weird and wonderful possibilities it holds. No longer reliant on classified ads or dingy establishments, a whole new market has sprung up. Turn your ad-blocker off, and it won’t be long before you’re assailed with adverts for webcam sites. This strange and worrying new world is the subject of Daniel Goldhaber’s new film Cam.
Alice (Madeline Brewer), known by her handle Lola, is an ambitious young camgirl who is determined to move up the rankings. Whilst she devises new and exciting ways to gain popularity with fans, she has a strict set of rules to keep the personal and professional apart. As she slowly moves up the charts her hard work and effort seems to be paying off. However, one day she finds herself locked out of her account and a doppelganger is doing increasingly risqué and dangerous stunts in her place.
Co-written by Isa Mazzei, a former sex worker herself, Cam has a lot to say about identity and the perils and pitfalls of the webcam porn industry from the inside and out. About the need for boundaries in the virtual world and relentless nature of competition for ‘supporters’. Madeline Brewer gives a fearless performance and is an absolute revelation; throwing everything into the role. However, the story itself does feel a bit stretched and the ending is a touch underwhelming. Nevertheless, Cam is a tense psychological thriller which explores the dangers and lack of protections in the modern sex industry.
Cam screens at London Film Festival on 20 & 21 October.
