Primetime and the Myth of Chris Hansen
Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime unfolds as a mythological tale about narcissism and a hunger for fame and attention at all costs. The film combines a distinct and unique visual style with immersive and deeply compelling performances, ultimately creating an experience quite unlike anything else. As the audience, we move through the various shades of morality, and with each new twist and turn, the world of the film expands as the myth of Chris Hansen and To Catch a Predator is written before us in real time.
Robert Pattinson’s Chris Hansen is a man who believes he is both The Chosen One and a god, and seeks to draw people into his orbit. The film’s visual language speaks to this in its portrayal of him as both prophet and deity, with his outline silhouetted dramatically against the darkness, or with his first entrance walking down a long flight of stairs to commune with mere mortals. Similar to our understanding of ancient gods and myths, Chris Hansen feels that he can meddle with human lives in any way he sees fit–whether it be molding a lackey in his own image, or striking down sinners with a benevolence not unlike what we might read in holy texts.
The film’s opening scene, including the aforementioned shot of Chris Hansen descending the staircase, looks a lot like our first encounter with Count Dracula in the original 1931 Dracula. This distinct visual language, whether it’s something they’re consciously reminded of or not, unsettles audiences, which is a pertinent preview of how they’re going to feel for the next hour and a half. Chris Hansen obviously doesn’t have a thirst for blood, but his craving for fame and notoriety might exceed Dracula’s own appetite.
In a claustrophobic airplane sequence, another passenger, played by Creed Bratton, commends all of the great work Hansen does on his show. Hansen thanks him, clearly enjoying the attention. The passenger wonders how Hansen is able to stand in front of predators without wanting to physically harm them, considering he would want to "beat the living shit out of them." Hansen tries to laugh it off, and then responds, "I think what I do is, maybe, a little worse." This ties in with his inflated sense of self and his self-appointed position in which he can catch bad guys who no one would ever dare defend, and use that to further his own celebrity. Hansen believes he is the moral arbiter between good and evil, and with each episode of his show, believes he is divinely intervening between monsters and innocents.
While I don’t think a lot of familiarity with Chris Hansen is necessary to enjoy this film, a truth about him and To Catch a Predator that recontextualizes a lot of these lines specifically is that some of the people caught on the show never actually went to prison, and many had their charges completely dropped and cases against them thrown out. Real-life predators got away with their actions because of how the show, teaming up with the police, went about its procedures and evidence collection in ways that were illegal and inadmissible in court in order to create better TV. What Chris Hansen irreversibly did to these guys was publicly shame them, but look at who the U.S. have elected as President, twice. Obviously, being exposed as a predator doesn’t always ruin careers or lives on its own. And since many weren’t held criminally liable, and therefore weren’t forced to register as sex offenders, it leads one to wonder how much good was actually done.
Hansen’s obsession with himself and his own myth is both humorous and disturbing, as seen in the scene where he wakes up his sleeping children so that they can sit in the living room and watch his show as it airs "at Prime Time" with him. His wife comes into the room and questions him, to which he immediately lies that they woke up on their own. Whether she actually believes him is beside the point. Hansen’s ability to construct stories around himself and then become the arbiter of his own myth is a constantly recurring theme throughout the film.
One of the most compelling aspects of the film is undeniably the performance by Skylar Gisondo (Booksmart), who plays Dan "Decoy Dan" Plum. He phenomenally transforms into an awkward wannabe actor who is desperate to get his SAG card and will take any job that can make that happen. That’s how he falls into Chris Hansen’s clutches, and he goes a little starry eyed for long enough that Hansen can begin grooming him to be the perfect "decoy" for his show. The relationship between them is so complex, as Dan wants to be successful and famous just like Hansen, and Hansen has no interest in sharing the spotlight, but is going to say whatever he can to get Decoy Dan to fall in line with his vision.
The other strong performance that rounds out the rest of the film is Merritt Wever (Marriage Story) as Hansen’s producer, Andie Bender. Her character is fascinating, as she is sort of the driving force for the success of the show, while remaining entirely behind the scenes. She has a similar thirst for success, in a very similar way to Hansen, but she has no true loyalty to him beyond what he can do for her career. They have a fascinating bond, as neither fully cares about the other, but both require the other for their own success, so they have enough of a motivation to keep their working relationship friendly.
Something I’ve seen thrown around as a criticism of this film is that it’s "style over substance." While I am not above lobbing that critique at something that warrants it, it doesn’t feel right to say that about Primetime. A lot of Primetime’s substance is in its style, and the only time we get a window into Hansen’s mind is through the way we see him depicted on screen. The light hits his face from certain angles, making him look menacing, or guilty, or inviting. There is a haze over the entire world the film is set within, as if the whole thing is a memory we are recalling more so than a movie we’re watching. I think this really ties in with the creation of Chris Hansen as a mythological figure, by evoking a sense of nostalgia or even déjà vu surrounding his story.
Primetime is electrifying, immersive, and an excellent watch both in the theater or at home. Robert Pattinson is on such a great run this year, and his take on Chris Hansen is one of his best performances. I definitely recommend checking it out if you haven’t already.
Available to watch in theaters in the UK & Australia, and on digital now
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