Aaron Sorkin returns to the world of Facebook with The Social Reckoning, a companion piece to David Fincher's The Social Network. This time, however, the focus is no longer on the creation of one of the world's biggest social media platforms, but on the consequences of its enormous influence and the people who eventually decided to expose what was happening behind the scenes.
Inspired by the story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, the film explores the company's internal practices and the potential damage caused by its algorithms. It is certainly an interesting subject, especially considering how much social media has become part of our everyday lives. Unfortunately, while The Social Reckoning has plenty of interesting things to say, its rather dry and businesslike approach prevents it from becoming as compelling as it could have been.
The Social Reckoning Has an Interesting Story to Tell
One of the most interesting aspects of The Social Reckoning is undoubtedly its subject matter. The film tackles issues that remain highly relevant, particularly the influence social media platforms have on the way people think, communicate and interact with the world around them.
Through Frances Haugen and journalist Jeff Horwitz, Aaron Sorkin presents a story about corporate responsibility, investigative journalism and the enormous power held by companies such as Facebook.
There is certainly enough material here to make for a fascinating film. The problem, however, is that the way this story is presented does not always make it particularly engaging.
At times, I almost get the feeling that the film uses a lot of serious-sounding words to explain things that most people have already understood for quite some time, even without having studied the subject particularly closely. We already know that social media algorithms influence what we see, that these platforms can encourage certain types of behaviour and that the companies behind them are not always particularly transparent about their intentions.
Of course, that does not make the subject any less important. It simply means that the film needs to find a more interesting way of communicating its message.
Unfortunately, that is something The Social Reckoning does not always manage to do.
A Dry Approach Prevents the Film From Making a Bigger Impact
The biggest criticism I have of The Social Reckoning is probably its rather dry and businesslike approach to the material.
There are plenty of facts, figures, documents and conversations explaining exactly what happened and why it matters. Everything is presented in a relatively serious manner, with the film constantly trying to underline the importance of the information being revealed.
That approach certainly makes sense given the subject matter, but it also makes the experience feel somewhat overwhelming at times.
There is simply a lot of information to take in, and while the film remains reasonably interesting throughout, it rarely becomes as emotionally involving as you might hope.
In fact, there is something slightly ironic about the way The Social Reckoning approaches its subject. The people who arguably need to hear its message the most are probably also the people least likely to be attracted to a film like this.
People who spend much of their time trapped inside social media algorithms are not necessarily going to be the same people who feel particularly interested in watching a serious drama about the dangers of those very algorithms.
That is not necessarily the film's fault, but it does make you wonder whether a somewhat more accessible approach might have helped its message reach a much wider audience.
A little more humanity, some lighter moments and a less formal way of presenting its information could have made a tremendous difference here.
The subject itself is genuinely interesting. It is simply the approach that does not always work.
Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison Elevate The Social Reckoning
Fortunately, the film does have some considerable strengths, particularly when it comes to its central performances.
Both Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison bring something extra to the material, helping to give the film a little more personality than its rather formal storytelling approach would otherwise allow.
White is particularly effective as journalist Jeff Horwitz, bringing a certain energy and naturalness to the character. His performance provides a welcome contrast to the more technical and corporate elements of the story.
Madison is equally convincing as Frances Haugen. She manages to give the character enough personality to make her more than simply the person responsible for revealing a collection of important documents.
Both actors work particularly well together, and their performances are among the main reasons why the film remains as watchable as it does.
That said, The Social Reckoning is still a film in which the characters never quite become the central focus. The story itself is what matters most, with the people involved often feeling like vehicles through which the information is presented.
On the one hand, this works reasonably well. After all, this is a story about something much bigger than any individual character.
On the other hand, it also creates a certain emotional distance. You understand what is happening and why it matters, but you do not always feel particularly connected to the people experiencing it.
Aaron Sorkin's Sharp Dialogue Remains a Highlight
As you would probably expect from an Aaron Sorkin film, the dialogue is one of its strongest elements.
There is a certain rhythm to the way his characters communicate, with conversations frequently moving at a rapid pace and containing plenty of sharp observations and clever exchanges.
Even when the subject matter becomes somewhat technical, Sorkin manages to keep many of these conversations interesting through his writing.
The dialogue is generally well written, occasionally witty and often quite sharp. It is also one of the things that prevents the film from becoming too monotonous, especially during some of its more information-heavy sequences.
The story structure is interesting as well, with the film constantly moving between events from the present and the past. This approach gives the narrative a little more variety and helps gradually fill in the background behind the events being portrayed.
It is not necessarily the most groundbreaking storytelling technique, but it works well enough and keeps the film moving at a reasonably consistent pace.
Strong Cinematography and a Solid Visual Style
Technically, The Social Reckoning is also a very well put together production.
The cinematography is effective, and the overall visual style gives the film a polished and professional appearance without becoming unnecessarily flashy.
There is a certain visual consistency throughout the production, with the camerawork and editing helping to maintain the film's sense of momentum.
Considering how much of the story revolves around conversations, documents and people trying to piece together information, it is not always easy to make everything visually interesting.
Still, Sorkin and his cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth do a perfectly decent job of keeping things visually engaging.
The film may not be particularly spectacular from a visual perspective, but it is certainly technically competent.
Why The Social Reckoning Works Better as a Companion Piece to The Social Network
It is probably best not to approach The Social Reckoning as a traditional sequel to The Social Network.
While the two films obviously share the same central subject, they are actually quite different in terms of what they are trying to accomplish.
Where The Social Network was primarily concerned with the creation of Facebook and the people involved in building it, this film is much more interested in the consequences of what that creation eventually became.
Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jeremy Strong, is also pushed much further into the background this time around.
Interestingly enough, I actually think this works in the film's favour.
Rather than making Zuckerberg the central character once again, The Social Reckoning treats him more as an antagonist in a much larger story. This allows the film to focus on the people trying to expose Facebook's internal practices, without having to spend too much time exploring Zuckerberg as an individual or attempting to make him particularly sympathetic.
It is a different perspective, but one that makes sense for the story being told.
Ultimately, I think it is much better to view The Social Reckoning as a continuation of the story about Facebook that began with The Social Network, rather than simply expecting another film about Mark Zuckerberg.
Conclusion: The Social Reckoning Is Interesting, But Too Dry for Its Own Good
Ultimately, The Social Reckoning is a perfectly decent film with an interesting subject and some genuinely strong performances.
Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison are both very good, Aaron Sorkin delivers the kind of sharp dialogue you would expect from him, and the film is technically well put together. Its storytelling structure also works reasonably well, giving the narrative enough variety to keep things moving.
Where the film struggles, however, is in the way it communicates its message.
There is simply too much emphasis on facts, figures and serious discussions, while the more human side of the story never receives quite enough attention. As a result, the film occasionally feels more like an elaborate presentation about the problems of social media than an emotionally involving piece of cinema.
That is a shame, because the subject is certainly important enough to deserve a more engaging approach.
A little more humour, some additional humanity and a less formal way of presenting its ideas could have made The Social Reckoning considerably more effective.
Still, there is enough here to make it worth watching, especially for those interested in the story behind Facebook and the influence of social media on modern society.
An interesting and well-made film, then, but one that never quite manages to make its message as compelling as it should have been.
Rating: 7/10
