The Columnist Film 2020

“Why can’t we just have different opinions and be nice about it.” The Columnist had its North American premiere for the virtual 2020 Fantasia Film Festival and this is a film for lovers of the internet. Those that are familiar with the pesky ways of social media. The trolls and, those that spruik, “Scroll on if you don’t like it!” The armies of haters of the banalest topics and the others who hate on whatever they can ruffle the feathers of. As someone who frequents many social media platforms and puts me out to be judged by the many, The Columnist will give you a big-picture scenario of what happens when you reach your tipping point and decide enough is enough.

Ivo van Aart, the writer, and director of this contemporary and vicious look into the finite form of revenge. Sure many other films have poked their noses into the subject before. Films like 2019’s Guns Akimbo made some statements about the type of themes The Columnist movie plays out, but most movies about social media are about the catfishes, the stalkers, and those obsessed with fame.

Get Revenge on Social Media Trolls

Labeled as a horror comedy, Katja Herbers stars as Femke Boot a columnist and writer for a newspaper. Opening scenes show Femke on a talk show debating author Steven Dood (Bram van der Kelen) about what is decent behavior and what isn’t. Facebook and Twitter are sources of frustration for Femke. She is almost at the point of obsession with those she reads about herself. Plagued by the need to read what people are saying about her, about her writing, about her life, and about how she looks. Death threats and accusations about the horrible things she has never done. Strangers anonymously judged her for her opinion.

For all intents and purposes, Steven plays the devil’s advocate. He represents the side of life that puts forward a persona on social media as a means of selling his books. They are violent and abhorrent in nature but he maintains that “everyone has violence inside them. It just so happens some of us are better at hiding it than others.”

The story is one that draws you in and the 86-minute runtime for The Columnist flew by. The storyline touches on so many parts of the world of social media I was entirely enthusiastic about where the finale would land. Femke remains controlled in the first quarter of the film. Dictated about the content she prescribes, judged on whether it is worthy or not. A daughter caught up in the perils of school life and what it means for us to have the right to free speech. A relationship with the very man she condemned for his persona on television. One who seems unbothered for the most part about his own online presence.

Are You Just Cynical?

Her psychological snap comes unwillingly but entirely purposeful. Somewhere between then and now, Femke has had enough. She becomes a serial killer of her own design. A vigilante for the cause and a willing participant in ridding the world of people who simply can’t be nice about having an opinion different from someone else. Femke believes herself to be the ultimate cynic and as the story wears on Steven shows himself as one who is judged by his outsides when what’s inside is as normal as normal can be.

I adored The Columnist. It’s a thought-provoking and well-orchestrated story. Filmed in a way that captures the desire to find out what everyone else thinks when you could very well just ignore it. Do we really have control over what other people do and say? And if we are, what is the best way to stop the poison that some people like to impose on us? Perhaps becoming a serial killer is not the best advice, but I can see where she was coming from.

The Columnist is rated

4 don’t ever read the comments out of 5

The Columnist Production and Cast

• Directed by Ivo van Aart and written by Daan Windhorst.
• The cast of The Columnist movie includes Katja Herbers, Claire Porro, Bram van der Kelen, Rein Hofman, and Harry van Rijthoven.