Whatever It Takes is the ideal true crime documentary. It tells a riveting, frightening story about everyday people caught up in a web of deceit, paranoia, and threats from all directions. Then it shifts gears to explain the how and the why of what went down in this unique situation before getting to the tragic, but admittedly darkly comedic answering of who was behind all of this. Director Jenny Carchman (The Fourth Estate, Gossip) takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride through a dark corner of the internet to a destination most won’t see coming, unless they’re familiar with the case at hand.
I don’t want to give too much away about Whatever It Takes, and I would highly suggest not googling too much about it before going in, as the film’s sinewy, sinister charms are best experienced as cold as possible. The short of it is that Natick, Massachusetts based married couple Ina and David Steiner have been publishing an online trade publication for the better part of a couple decades when suddenly an unnamed, unseen troll starts targeting them with continually escalating threats as a result of something they uncovered. It starts with the usual foul mouthed name calling and tough talk, escalates to threatening packages, and eventually to them being followed around town.
Carchman’s well thought out approach builds palpable tension in the early going, and Whatever It Takes starts off genuinely frightening. Then Carchman hits a pressure release early on by revealing the culprit(s) behind the criminal harassment campaign (mostly) aren’t the type of people who would normally be doing this sort of thing. Whatever It Takes has a lot on its mind, and while it would make perfect fodder for any sort of newsmagazine, podcast, or weekly true crime series, it has the sheen and propulsion of a great work of cinema.
Sunday, May 5, 2024 – 7:15 pm – Scotiabank 7
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