The Viral Mystery of ‘Suspects’

A thriller with an ensemble cast, starring Uma Thurman, points to the problems of virality in the digital age. Nothing is what it seems?

Is what our eyes see always true? The moving images that our mobile phones record can be a big lie, like the exposure of our lives on social networks, the paradise of egomania, consumerism and false freedom. In times of fake news, deep fakes and cancellations, audiovisual proposals keep popping up that question technological progress. The evolution of civilization does not seem to be moving at the same speed. Digital tools are here, gaining ground, monopolizing everything, and we’re not always right when it comes to using them appropriately to our advantage. We are swimming in a sea bordered by data-driven fishing nets. We send information to cyberspace every day so that they know what ground we walk on, what we eat, how we dress, who we are with… Any online maneuver is valid as long as it gets publicity, without necessarily gaining anything of advantage, except for a few virtual taps on the back. Exposure to others borders on the sick, schizophrenia, the absurd. Big Brother watches over us, or rather The Big Ego, because it is we ourselves who point the finger. ‘Suspects’, available on Apple TV+, a somewhat elitist platform in its concept that takes special care in its content -there is ‘Separation’ as one of the series of the year-, part of a viral video to plot a to work out intrigues that pollute society as a whole through work and the (dis)grace of the internet. The twenty-something son of an important American businesswoman is kidnapped in the hallways of a luxury New York hotel and everything points to four British citizens, seemingly with nothing in common, who were in the building the night of the car for various reasons.

‘Suspects’, written by Rob Williams (‘The Man in the High Castle’), is a remake of the 2015 Israeli series ‘False identity’, currently unavailable on any platform after airing on Fox. history to recent times, taking full advantage of the implementation of social networks. Uma Thurman brings her hypnotic face to a choral cast who in the opening chapters defend an addictive story that, as the story progresses, loses in vigor but does not lose interest. The premise is so powerful that the climax cannot keep up with the development of events. The main character of ‘Kill Bill’ plays the grieving mother who is blackmailed by an unknown group in exchange for the release of her offspring. To resolve the conflict without ransom, they join forces, with their disagreements, the British Crime Agency and the FBI. The named suspects, who are not related a priori, meet on the run, trying to prove their innocence, but no one can trust anyone. Everyone is hiding something, leading to remarkable twists in the solution of the case. Kunal Nayyar (“The Big Bang Theory”), Noah Emmerich (“The Americans”), Georgina Campbell (“Retaliation”), Elyes Gabel (“The Most Violent Year”), Elizabeth Henstridge (“Agents of SHIELD”), Tom Rhys-Harries (“White Lines”) and Angel Coulby (“Merlin”) round out the main cast of a conspiracy that hits the nail on the head once again on a topic as hot as the news, not always real, that spread as the wildfire on Facebook or Twitter. They serve ideological and economic interests, although there are also Internet users who just seem to enjoy spreading trolls, some of them very dangerous. Photo montages, out of context statements, tweets edited with Photoshop, absurd and surreal memes that set WhatsApp groups on fire…

Thousands of fake profiles, bots and questionable media disguise everything as breaking news. Perhaps the most indisputable are the videos, as in ‘Suspects’. The supposedly real, moving image is hard to question, but everything and nothing is what it seems. The first impression is what counts among the potential audience of this type of material. They want to believe at first sight what they read, see or hear, because it fits their vision of the world. The deepfakes are here to stay, they go viral without stopping and our minds don’t question whether the audiovisual imprints that burn our retinas are true or false. We share data captives of immediacy, without letting the information rest, pushed by the algorithm. We have become accustomed to the bombardment of fragments of reality that our mobile phones capture and share without questioning their nature. Here I catch you, here I take you. The news outlets have validated and broadcast this material as synonymous with truth. Given the profusion of manipulated images and forgeries, such as the ‘Years and Years’ or ‘The Capture’ series already advanced, ‘Suspicious’ adds another point of view to the current treatment of audiovisuals in our digital environment. There’s drama, mystery and juicy cliffhangers. Eight deliveries with a total end.

Suspicious is available on Apple TV+.

Source: La Verdad

Michael

I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.