THE TINDER SWINDLER (2022)
Director: Felicity Morris
Produced by: Raw TV
Casts: Kristoffer Kumar, Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjöholm, Ayleen Charlotte, Erlend Ofte Arntsen, Natalie Remøe Hansen
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
SYNOPSIS:
Posing as a wealthy, jet-setting diamond mogul, he wooed women online then conned them out of millions of dollars. Now some victims plan for payback.
REVIEW:
Starting from the idea that finding love by using a dating app is the new normal, ‘The Tinder Swindler’ recounts a story that feels like a Fairy Tale gone wrong with an intelligent, charismatic yet monstrous villain. Writer-director Felicity Morris assembles women's firsthand accounts into a narrative that takes jaw-dropping twists unveiling the deep, ugly route that social apps can lead you to.
The film starts off with the jumpy, bubbly Cecilie, a Norwegian residing in London who always dreamed of finding her prince charming on Tinder. After 7 years of being in the app, she matched with Simon, the handsome son of a billionaire with a global party lifestyle. After meeting for coffee in the first date, she gets on into his jet-set lifestyle the very next day, attracted to his rich yet dangerous life. Simon also reveals that he is constantly in threat by his enemies. At the same instance, Simon also matches with Pernilla in Stockholm, and they become friends. Then after a murder attempt on Simon by his enemies, Simon asks for Cecilie's financial assistance. And she has no idea that she's actually funding a similar long con he's running on Pernilla.
What pulled me inside the documentary instantly is the sleekness and speed it carried. Besides the sharply well-staged interview sequences, the film uses news footage, snapshots, camera videos and clever re-enactments to bring us into the world of the victims very quickly into the film. Supported by Cecilie’s passionate interview, the romance between Cecilie and Simon is treated like a fairy tale and we can really feel their chemistry. With a good ‘character’ development, we are able to buy that she would do anything for him when an emergency arises.
On the other end, Pernill’s friendship story is well built and intercuts to the love story that organically increases the stakes for Cecilie when we see that he borrows the money from her to spend luxuriously with Pernilla and his other girlfriend. The intercuts between 2 stories accelerate and meet up in a peaking emotional note when the victims are pushed to their credit limits.
Eventually when their story is published, hundreds of women come forward with similar accounts. And it takes another of his victims, Ayleen, to catch him with a daring plan. I just felt that the movie could have explored more on Ayleen’s payback and relationship with Simon which felt relieving and intriguing. If the length was the problem, I felt that the idea could have been translated into a series rather than a film given the immense details the victims carry. That said, condensing them into an edgy documentary also is masterful itself. Of course, the film also takes the sides of the victims extremely and never attempts to acknowledge their wrong moves online.
Cecile’s episode is no doubt the most engaging as she articulately recounts the story with a raging spark, openly expressing how she felt at each step. This draws us into the nightmarish journey she went through with Simon who left her with crushing debts. Swedish journalists Natalie, Kristoffer and Erlend comb through Cecilie's evidence and follow the clues, connecting to Pernilla and uncovering a shockingly far-reaching conspiracy. Every character and crew definitely needs to be commended for their courageous step to make a film that never hides away to reveal many major company names, people and politicians as well, even though they are not directly involved in the main plot.
Often feeling like a cautionary fable about the worst possible thing that could happen to you online, this film evolves into an inspiring adventure about a group of people who make it their mission to find and stop Simon as he jumps around the globe. Each person in the film becomes a fully rounded character in their own right, including Simon himself whom you will remember for a very long time after watching the film. The film's final half hour is like a mini-thriller all its own, ending tensely to a conclusion that I would say is more honest than a narrative movie would dare to be. Though the film ends with a quote from Cecilie that hard sells that the film’s intention is not to degrade Tinder, there is no chance that you will see dating apps the same anymore.
VERDICT:
With a snappy pace and sleek visuals, ‘The Tinder Swindler’ is an arresting documentary about the vulnerability that social apps can push us to that sets off like a passionate romance flick before spiraling into a disturbing thriller.
CELLULOID METER- 4/5:
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