Live!

Shot in hyperreal DV shakeycam by documentarian Bill Guttentag, ‘Live!’ tries to convince audiences that a show centred on Russian roulette, in which a contestant takes their life on screen, could actually happen. It draws on legal precedent and reality TV to support its argument– one that is, sadly, doomed to failure. And without this conceit, the film collapses in a mess of contrivance.

This is a film that belittles and despises its characters. Without exception, they– and by extension the entire viewing public– are depicted as cold and devious or dumb and easily persuaded. The filmmakers have learned the lessons of reality television – the climactic studio sequence is a nail-biter – but it’s hard to distinguish between the cynical indifference of the characters and the arrogant nihilism of the film itself.