How to review a documentary?
Do you critique it basis its production value, technicalities, the subject or the story it’s uncovering?
The Tinder Swindler, for me, strikes a chord on all accounts.
The 1 hour 54 minutes documentary chronicles the events in the lives of women who were duped of millions by a man on Tinder.
Now, that’s a synopsis summary that grabbed my attention to immediately hit the play button, not only because I enjoy true-crime mysteries but also because I’ve always been skeptical of Tinder as a dating platform, and this story certainly reinforced my cynicism.
Image from The Tinder SwindlerThe Tinder Swindler is the story of Simon Leviev (the swindler) narrated first-hand by the victims of his crime, Cecilie Fjellhoy, Pernilla Sjoholm and then some.
It starts off on a light romantic note with Fjellhoy recounting the time she met Leviev and was smitten by his charm, hospitality, and his luxurious standard of living.
While it’s easy to judge Fjellhoy for being inanely naïve and irresponsible, and possibly a “gold digger”, it’s how she describes her idea of fairytales that got my attention.
She referred to Disney movies, specifically Beauty & the Beast where Belle is “saved” by the beast who in turn finds comfort in her. This made me think about how pop culture has inadvertently indoctrinated generations of women to believe a “Prince Charming” would be their key to love and happiness. And women, somehow, need to “fix” or “save” the man in order to have a healthy relationship.
It’s probably this mindset that needles people like Leviev to con unsuspecting women searching for true love, and Tinder is his weapon.
Image from The Tinder SwindlerBut then Sjoholm’s story is a little different. She wasn’t in love with Leviev. She became his friend who tagged along with his then girlfriend on lavish holidays together. So, what influenced her to be swindled?
I guess this is where gender dynamics and trust come to play, and Leviev’s research, meticulous planning and judgement of his targets led to his success.
He carefully played his cards with each victim learning about their lifestyles, values, beliefs, personality traits and schemed a con basis his relationship with them.
Simon Leviev didn’t just dupe them; he played an emotionally scarring con exhibiting characteristics of a true con artist – psychopathy, narcissism and machiavellianism.
Image from The Tinder SwindlerThe Tinder Swindler uncovers a lot about the criminal, his victims whose lives turned upside down for being too trusting, the power of investigative journalism that led to his arrest and even karma [revenge is a dish best served cold – on eBay].
There’s no doubt that the documentary is highly engaging, but it also raises questions about love in the time of Tinder. How safe are we in the world of digital apps? When and where do we draw the line? How far will you go for a lover or a friend?
I guess the important take away from The Tinder Swindler is, as Sjoholm said, “one little swipe can change your life forever”.
