Highly Overrated But Still Good

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Social Animals was well-received at its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. It is best described as a digital coming of age story that shows the positives and the pitfalls of the social media era. It showcases three teenagers and their experiences with Instagram. It also shows that while there is much that can be achieved positively (particularly in the experience of Humza Deas who uses Instagram as a platform to develop and showcase his amazing photography), butt there are also horrific downsides. The platform magnifies all of the worst pathologies of millennial culture including sexting, horrific cyberbullying, stalking, slut-shaming and so much else. All of the ugliest aspects of the playground are played out writ large on the social media stage. The director has done a thoughtful job of presenting the medium fairly. The film is entertaining, well-edited, and provocative. Frankly, I agree with the director (in his comments at the screening), if I had teenagers I wouldn't let my kids use this type of social media platform.