The Disconnect

 So, by now you know that I'm not one to mince words when it comes to one of my film's falling short of expectations. I'm a writer who prides himself on creating the best possible work and so, I do my best to take each review and bit of feedback with the respect and seriousness they deserve. Others who have seen me on this blog will know that I've been critical of my works in the past, usually to a...unhealthy degree, let's say. I'm happy to announce that you will not see that here, however, I still have a lot to say regarding current matters, so let's get started.

As you are aware, my newest film Connected has just been released into theaters. It was meant to tell the story of a girl in high school who found herself in the whims of social media and lost her way, having been inspired by Needy Streamer Overload and the road its main character, Ame, takes herself on. At the time, I was satisfied with what I wrote and had sent it off for release, especially with long-time friend Sofia Coppola in the director's chair. However, as time passed, my feelings began to sour on the film, almost like I had with D.I.C.K. But while my feelings on that film have changed for the better (mind you, it's still not good), I'm afraid to say I'm still not happy with how this one turned out.

That's why I'm sorry to say that I expected this film to fail, not just in the box office, but with critics. Something about this film hadn't sit right with me, especially with how the plot turned out. Now, let me make it clear, it is not as bad as other films I've made like The Youngest Hart or Story of Sade, but there are a number of flaws that seriously hold this film back from its full potential. Allow me to detail them as best I can:

1. It goes on for too long

I'll start with the one that's the least of my concerns, and it's one you've heard all too often. The film was a bit lengthy for my liking, not as bad as it's been in the past, but still noticeable. Considering the original film was over 5000 words in length, the fact I was able to get it just under 4000 words is impressive in of itself. It helps that dramas tend to be longer than other films, so I had a bit more wiggle room to work with than usual. Still, I wish I had been able to shorten things further, maybe to about 3500 words. Then maybe it wouldn't have felt as much a slog to get through in parts. However, I consider it more a symptom of a greater problem, one I think I'm finally starting to realize.

2. The characters aren't likable

While this isn't the big issue that I've noticed when it comes to my films, it's one I've become concerned about as of late. My characters, from what I've gathered, don't seem to be likable. In fact, a lot of the characters in this film turned out to be vapid, superficial or had their potential wasted. This has been a trend ever since I started in LRF, and it's oscillated over the years from appearing to not being present, but I feel like recently, it's come back in a big way. I don't think I need to mention D.I.C.K and it's character issues, that's been beaten down to death enough as is, but even in my better films, like Victims, Zoe Maye, and The Culture have fallen victim to this trend. Even E.P, the film I consider my crowning achievement, considered this it's major flaw. So I'm wondering to myself what exactly the disconnect is. I don't think it's one thing in particular, I think it's more different things that come up every so often. This time, it just so happens some of the characters turned out this way on circumstance.

Let's run over all of them and see where we went wrong:

Charlotte: I actually think Charlotte turned out to be one of the better characters of the bunch, she has a clear character arc, fleshed out goals and a general idea of what she's made to be. In this case, a loner whose parents want her to go out and something, only to become an incredibly popular streamer and an entitled punk who needs a taste of her own medicine. In this case, Charlotte got it in the form of a group of people doxxing her. In general, I think she got a good deal out of this, especially with Mackenzie Foy at the helm. If I had to give some feedback, I feel like her turn towards megalomania was a bit too sudden, like it could have used a bit more buildup before that gut punch back to reality, but on the whole, Charlotte is fine.

Aiden: ...I hate to say it, but Aiden is two different shades of mediocre. First, he's a bit bland, which is not ideal considering he's supposed to be a very noteworthy streamer, one full of energy and life. Secondly, his purpose is a bit muddled, which we'll touch more on later on, but to summarize. Aiden is the mentor of a budding young streamer but he also runs a Discord server with his friends and is dealing with past trauma from an abusive relationship. That's...a bit much, and it turn, it creates a character that doesn't feel figured out. That's not to say it's all bad, I do think his relationship with Charlotte is sweet and plays well into his overall story, and the drama he has with Reilly is nice, if not underdeveloped. I think if Aiden was more fleshed out, he'd be better than what he was.

Reilly: Reilly is a decent character who could have been great, and I say this because she did a lot of things right. She served as a compelling enough antagonist who waited in the shadows long enough before finally striking Charlotte, manipulating others to join the cause. She also has the tension with Aiden, which also shows great potential for something more, but it's not explored enough to really justify it, which in turn, lessens the impact of her final acts, that being her leaving the internet. I do wonder what could have happened had Reilly played a more proactive role in the story, rather than waiting until the second act to get going, but as a character, I don't think she's bad.

Maggie: Oh Maggie, you had so much potential. You were the best friend of Charlotte and her closest confidant, you could've been there to help her navigate the worldwide web and its many pitfalls. Instead, you were kinda just there. You had scenes, but not much in terms of importance. And the scenes you were there for, they were mainly to satellite Charlotte. If you had a scene where you really proved your loyalty to your friend, even as she was spiraling, you probably could have been great. Instead, you're just...Maggie. Probably the biggest disappointment of the cast.

Bob: I can't tell if I've gotten better at writing abusive parents or not, mainly because I myself have been fortunate enough to have been with two wonderful parents in my life. But I also know a lot of people haven't had that luxury, and it's a shame. Bob I think is a step in the right direction, he's not cartoonishly evil as Claudia and he has some fun moments, especially when he starts sucking up to Charlotte. He doesn't really do that much other than tell Charlotte that her career choice sucks and be a jerk to Louise but also I don't think he needs to be anything more than that? I don't know, I feel like he could have been a bit more slimy, but I'm not sure how.

Louise: I'll argue that Louise is the best character of the film, thanks in large part to Rachel Dratch's sterling work in the role, especially later on when she starts her development. This turn from an absent, burnt out parent who has lost all hope on life to someone who genuinely cares for her daughter and just needed that extra pick-me-up is a very impressive story that, for the most part, I think is delivered well.  I guess if I had to revisit the character, I would have given it a little more buildup toward her move towards her breaking down and rebuilding her relationship with Charlotte, but as it stands, she's the best of the bunch.

Janice: Honestly, I feel like she could have been left out of the film and it wouldn't have changed much, if at all. If anything, Reilly being the person Charlotte knew in high school would've made for an interesting dynamic. I'd have to make some changes regarding age, but it could've worked. As it stands, Janice is mainly a dragon for Reilly and that's about it. She gets a small scene of redemption (which is another issue I need to step away from in my writing) after the horrid deed, but otherwise, Janice feels unnecessary.

Zayda: Zayda I feel like is almost there as a character, she has the right storyline as one of Aiden's close friends and is also set up as someone willing to call out Aiden whenever he acts out of line. It's also clear she's one of the more rational characters in the entire cast, but she's missing the extra layer that could have made her something more than what she was. And I think that comes from the fact there's one character who serves as a moral guide for Aiden. We'll talk about him later. As it stands, Zayda is fine, but she needed more to her.

Enrique: Enrique is...let's be real, he's only there to be a twist antagonist or a "Benedict Arnold", turning his back on Aiden and company to join up with Reilly and her group. I do think there could have been a bit more build-up to it, but that seems to be a reoccurring pattern with this film.

2a. Aaron Pierre's character - Luke

And then there's Luke. I'm giving him his own little category because I think his case is special. Allow me to explain. Luke is actually based on a YouTuber by the name of LioConvoy, someone who reviewed 80s cartoons, built toy models and dunked on predators and creeps on the internet with his Discord server. At the time, I have grown to appreciate his work keeping predators offline, but on February 2024, a scandal emerged involving him and several other YouTubers regarding the bullying and mistreatment of an autistic woman named Rosa Rey Ramsay and a case that involved her. This, along with several other testimonies by several other YouTubers has caused me to distance myself from Lio, and I no longer support his work.

Even then, the more I think about this character, the more I realize how unnecessary he is. This is character who is meant to be some sort of wise old mentor for Aiden, but really, he doesn't do much to drive the plot along, and even when he does actually do things, these are scenes that could have easily involved Zayda. As unfortunate as it is, this is a character that has no purpose to exist other than "we needed to pan out the casting budget". If I were to write this film again, knowing what I know now, I would not have this character in the film.

3. It's too "busy"

But even if Luke wasn't in the cast, and even if the characters weren't flawed or the plot went a little long, that wouldn't change much because they're symptoms of a bigger problem, one that I think I'm finally realizing. This film is actually two plots tied together, and in turn, it made the film far too busy to really work. One instance, it would focus on the story of a young girl trying to find herself on the internet. On the other hand, it would touch up on Internet personalities and their troubles online. There lies the trouble with this film. It didn't know which direction it wanted to take and thus, it became muddied between the two "conflicting" plots.

Now, as you might have noticed, I've asked publicly what I could do to improve my films and John Malone made a very important point. When writing a film, you want to have your concepts explained in one sentence, so it doesn't feel too complex or like there's too much in the film. This is a problem I've run into before with Mimsley and Me, which, thankfully, worked out in the box-office, and I wouldn't be surprised if this has been an issue with other films as well. I'll take responsibility for this, as I have far too many ideas in my head and often times, I let it all out when writing a film. It's clear now, however, that this needs to change.

If I were to write this film again, I'd actually split it into two films. One about the high school graduate turned internet sensation and a story about Internet personalities trying to make it through life. That way, you can tell both stories without worrying about them interfering with one another. Perhaps some day, I'll make those films, but likely not anytime soon (I have like, twenty million other films I need to work on).

Conclusion

Now, that isn't to say this film is all bad or that nothing from Connected worked. Far from it, there are some things I do like about Connected! The relationship between Aiden and Charlotte is sweet and does a lot to help legitimize Charlotte's arc. I'm also mostly satisfied with how Louise's character arc turned out, even as it could have gone with some more depth, it still told a nice redemption story for a mother who lost her way. And while, yes, some may have reservations for the R rating, I do think some of the heavier scenes were necessary given the circumstances at play. Especially given Charlotte is still a high-school graduate who, outside of Maggie, didn't have many friends.

On the whole, however, Connected feels more like a what-if than an actual film, complete with two competing plots and characters that feel underdeveloped. In fact, it solidifies what I have feeling for a while now. I haven't been putting in my best work recently. This season, from a critical standpoint, started off promising enough with Mimsley and Me receiving decent marks. But from there, things began to fell off with Heartstone falling well below expectations (and killing any hopes for an original superhero franchise for me) and Connected faring no better. It's clear now that I have severe flaws with the way I go about writing films and that needs to change.

I've already asked in the discussion thread, but I'll ask again. What do you think I can do to better the quality of my films?

That's all from me! Hopefully Season 30 will fare better for not just myself, but the studio. Until next time, this is Jacob Jones, signing off!