Series 7: The Contenders is a 2001 satirical mockumentary film written and directed by Daniel Minahan. Starring low key actors Brooke Smith, Glenn Fitzgerald, Marylouise Burke, Richard Venture, Michael Kaycheck, and Merritt Wever, it brutally challenges our perception of reality television and shows the viewer how dangerously fine the lines have been blurred between what is morally acceptable as entertainment and when things have been taken too far.
In the seventh series of the popular reality TV show "The Contenders", the reigning champion Dawn (Brooke Smith), who is heavily pregnant, finds herself up against five new contestants; Connie (Marylouise Burke), a 57-year-old nurse, Anthony (Michael Kaycheck), a 39-year-old unemployed married man, Lindsay (Merritt Wever), an 18-year-old student, Franklin (Richard Venture), a 72-year-old retired man, and Jeffrey (Glenn Fitzgerald), a 33-year-old artist who is dying of testicular cancer and is Dawn's ex-boyfriend. As per the rules of the show, each of these contender's names are drawn at random in a lottery and are required to hunt and kill each other on camera until only one remains alive at the end. To up the ante and increase ratings, the show's producers provide each of the contenders with guns, something not done on previous series, and as a result, the game becomes more and more tense among not only the players but the loyal viewers at home as well.
Have you ever seen a film made several years ago that holds up so well that it could be released in theatres today and it would still feel like it came out recently? "Series 7: The Contenders" happens to be such a film. Its biting satire of the lengths people will go to become famous is even more relevant in this day and age of social media and smartphones than it was back in 2001. You could almost swear that the filmmakers had the foresight to see how humanity was going to end up over the following decades, especially with the election of a US President who himself was previously a star of his own reality TV series. The idea of the show's contestants being selected randomly via lottery also draws comparisons to that of military service drafting or something as simple as a summoning for jury duty. Each contender has their own personal response to being picked for the show and it is fascinating to see how each of the characters handle their sudden thrust into the spotlight. Even though this isn't the first film to tackle the subject of reality TV in such a manner (see The Hunger Games, Battle Royale, and The Running Man), this one does it with such a sinister degree of self reflection that it certainly earns its right to co-exist among its similar brethren.
Writer/director Daniel Minahan, who has since gone on to direct several episodes of TV shows such as Game Of Thrones, Six Feet Under, and Deadwood, structures the movie as though we are watching a marathon of the titular series with episodes edited back-to-back, complete with recap narration and behind-the-scenes interviews. This adds that sense of realism to the film to help confuse the audience into thinking this isn't satire but instead an almost clairvoyant look into what we could very well end up perceiving as something normal for our viewing pleasure. While watching, I often found myself forgetting this was only a movie as the reality TV aesthetic is extremely well done. For this reason alone, I believe the film is a success in getting its message across. Of course, the no-holds-barred brutality of the violence depicted on screen will be highly off-putting to a casual filmgoer but considering it was all shown in context, it never felt glorified. With that in mind, I must point out that isn't a film for the faint of heart.
The film's cast of relative unknowns works greatly to its advantage. This made it feel all the more as though we were watching real people fighting to the death and the potential distraction of them being recognisable was non-existent. If I did have to single out one of the actors, it would be Brooke Smith as Dawn. She played her character brilliantly, as we see her fighting towards freedom for not only herself but her unborn baby. Each of the other actors were great as well, but Dawn certainly felt like she earned her right to do what it takes to come up on top. Again, this made me forget that these are people literally battling for their lives and aren't simply trying to win a new car or a large cash prize, so I shouldn't really be feeling good about other contestants losing out in favour of someone else.
As it stands, it definitely feels as though a film like this has only gotten better with age. The satirical take on reality TV as well as the idea that nationwide fame can come to anyone regardless of talent is practically a timeless concept at this point, even with the absence of internet related media. There's no denying that the general public's thirst for blood, both literally and metaphorically, will always be there and it isn't going away anytime soon. What a frightening thought to ponder upon.
I rate it 8.5/10
In the seventh series of the popular reality TV show "The Contenders", the reigning champion Dawn (Brooke Smith), who is heavily pregnant, finds herself up against five new contestants; Connie (Marylouise Burke), a 57-year-old nurse, Anthony (Michael Kaycheck), a 39-year-old unemployed married man, Lindsay (Merritt Wever), an 18-year-old student, Franklin (Richard Venture), a 72-year-old retired man, and Jeffrey (Glenn Fitzgerald), a 33-year-old artist who is dying of testicular cancer and is Dawn's ex-boyfriend. As per the rules of the show, each of these contender's names are drawn at random in a lottery and are required to hunt and kill each other on camera until only one remains alive at the end. To up the ante and increase ratings, the show's producers provide each of the contenders with guns, something not done on previous series, and as a result, the game becomes more and more tense among not only the players but the loyal viewers at home as well.
Have you ever seen a film made several years ago that holds up so well that it could be released in theatres today and it would still feel like it came out recently? "Series 7: The Contenders" happens to be such a film. Its biting satire of the lengths people will go to become famous is even more relevant in this day and age of social media and smartphones than it was back in 2001. You could almost swear that the filmmakers had the foresight to see how humanity was going to end up over the following decades, especially with the election of a US President who himself was previously a star of his own reality TV series. The idea of the show's contestants being selected randomly via lottery also draws comparisons to that of military service drafting or something as simple as a summoning for jury duty. Each contender has their own personal response to being picked for the show and it is fascinating to see how each of the characters handle their sudden thrust into the spotlight. Even though this isn't the first film to tackle the subject of reality TV in such a manner (see The Hunger Games, Battle Royale, and The Running Man), this one does it with such a sinister degree of self reflection that it certainly earns its right to co-exist among its similar brethren.
Writer/director Daniel Minahan, who has since gone on to direct several episodes of TV shows such as Game Of Thrones, Six Feet Under, and Deadwood, structures the movie as though we are watching a marathon of the titular series with episodes edited back-to-back, complete with recap narration and behind-the-scenes interviews. This adds that sense of realism to the film to help confuse the audience into thinking this isn't satire but instead an almost clairvoyant look into what we could very well end up perceiving as something normal for our viewing pleasure. While watching, I often found myself forgetting this was only a movie as the reality TV aesthetic is extremely well done. For this reason alone, I believe the film is a success in getting its message across. Of course, the no-holds-barred brutality of the violence depicted on screen will be highly off-putting to a casual filmgoer but considering it was all shown in context, it never felt glorified. With that in mind, I must point out that isn't a film for the faint of heart.
The film's cast of relative unknowns works greatly to its advantage. This made it feel all the more as though we were watching real people fighting to the death and the potential distraction of them being recognisable was non-existent. If I did have to single out one of the actors, it would be Brooke Smith as Dawn. She played her character brilliantly, as we see her fighting towards freedom for not only herself but her unborn baby. Each of the other actors were great as well, but Dawn certainly felt like she earned her right to do what it takes to come up on top. Again, this made me forget that these are people literally battling for their lives and aren't simply trying to win a new car or a large cash prize, so I shouldn't really be feeling good about other contestants losing out in favour of someone else.
As it stands, it definitely feels as though a film like this has only gotten better with age. The satirical take on reality TV as well as the idea that nationwide fame can come to anyone regardless of talent is practically a timeless concept at this point, even with the absence of internet related media. There's no denying that the general public's thirst for blood, both literally and metaphorically, will always be there and it isn't going away anytime soon. What a frightening thought to ponder upon.
I rate it 8.5/10