There was a point over the last several years in which we began the transition from “found footage” and “shaky cam footage” films to “screen life”. In screen life films such as Searching and Unfriended, we get to see the story unfold by seeing pictures, videos, discussions, and more on the character’s computer or phone. It’s different from what we have been used to seeing on the big screen, but it makes sense in our world of technology that we get to see the small screens of the people we are watching on the big screen. This time around it is a very real scenario as Profile is actually based on real-life events and stories.
In Profile, we meet Amy (Valene Kane). Amy is a freelance journalist that lives in London. She is barely getting the rent paid and she is attempting to do whatever is necessary to land a full-time job at a major news station. As we take a glimpse of her life and watch the words on the screen and hear the conversations, we see that she and her boyfriend Matt (Morgan Watkins) are looking to move in together and she is iffy about being able to afford it. This is part of the reason why she is taking on such a dangerous mission. That mission is to be recruited by ISIS to get a peek into their recruitment process and find out more about sex trafficking rings in Syria.
The next piece of the puzzle is when we meet Abu Bilel Al-Britani (Shazad Latif). Abu is a British man who is living in Syria. He likes to show off his guns and talking about beheading people. He’s a smooth talker and it is mentioned in the film that he is quite good-looking and that doesn’t help the situation either. Amy begins to build trust with Abu, while taking calls from her editor, boyfriend, sister, etc. There is a question asked in the trailer – “are you falling in love with him?” – that can’t be possible, can it?
Profile sets out to do a few things and putting yourself into those shoes of a journalist that is trying to infiltrate one of the most dangerous groups in the history of mankind is one of them. It works most of the time. There are going to be a few times when you really have to say to yourself “really, is this happening?”, but then you have to think and realize this is based on a true story as outlandish as it may be. Valene Kane does a fine job, as does the rest of the cast. This new-ish genre of film is certainly not for everyone, but it is absolutely an intriguing one that I would love to see more of. If you are into movies and show terrorism and terrorist plots, this one is for you.
The Verdict