Director David Osit uses the film to ask the audience why they are so entertained by true crime and public humiliation
TW: This review contains sensitive content, including mention of rape, sexual predators and child abuse.
David Osit’s documentary “Predators” explores the television phenomena “To Catch a Predator” and the copycats that followed the show’s success. Additionally, the film aims to answer why sexual predators are the way that they are and whether these shows blur the line between justice for victims and the sensationalizing nature of seeing the confrontation of predators on TV.
“To Catch A Predator” began airing 20 years ago, yet it remains in the cultural zeitgeist. The TV program ran from 2004 to 2007. The premise was to lure unsuspecting predators to a house to meet a minor that the predator had been in contact with. However, the “minor” is actually an adult actor working for Perverted-Justice, a group that focused on catching online predators by posing as minors on the internet.
Chris Hansen, the show’s host, emerges from another room and confronts the predator, who asks to be released. Hansen allows them to leave, only to be met by authorities. Watching the predator’s horrified face as they slowly understand what’s happening can be satisfying to an audience who may hold resentment towards the predator for their actions.
The first scene of the film is a clip from the show. A 37-year-old man walks in with a clear intent to rape a 13-year-old girl. The unease in the audience at the showing was palpable as we watched him flirt with someone he believed was a minor. Then, Hansen appears. As the man cries and denies what he’s done, the audience laughs at his patheticness. It’s so amusing, but why? Osit said during the Q&A after the film’s screening that the show is “taking pleasure in someone’s potential humiliation.”
Osit discovered the online fandom of “To Catch a Predator,” which piqued his interest through unaired footage and snippets of interrogations. Unsure of how to process simultaneously feeling empathy and disgust for the predators, he decided to make a film. “Predators” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and got well-deserved praise. Rolling Stone named it in a list of the 10 best movies at Sundance.
A victim himself, Osit said he wanted to explore why predators are the way that they are — something he said the show doesn’t completely answer.
The popularity of “To Catch a Predator” inspired copycats, especially with the rise of YouTube. The documentary follows Skeeter Jean, who attempts to replicate Hansen’s sharp wit, but without journalistic intent and without using real police officers and a credible agency like Perverted-Justice to catch them. Jean is not shy in hiding his true intent. Despite the documentary crew being present, Jean tells his cameramen to tape concerned onlookers, hires fake police officers and more. A memorable part of the film sees Jean confronting a predator who asks for therapy, after being caught messaging a 14-year-old with the intention of meeting the minor in person. Jean and his team say they will try to “pull some strings,” but it is clear that they are not interested in giving him assistance or resources. Jean is just a YouTuber and has no actual “string to pull.” Then, they tell him he’s been “skeeted.” The audience and I erupted in disbelieving laughter.
Copycats like Jean don’t seem to care about justice or preventing these crimes from happening, but rather how many views and how much fame they can get from catching and filming these predators. One might argue that empathy doesn’t matter in this situation, saying the people in these videos are monsters who deserve the humiliation. However, it is clear that the filmography is driven by the exploitation of the victims and humiliation of the predators.
Osit talks with the mother of one of the predators. Her 18-year-old son, Hunter, attempted to meet a 15-year-old in person and was caught on Hansen’s new show, “Takedown.” Hunter had to drop out of school and wasn’t allowed around minors, including his 16-year-old brother. The mother was distraught and shocked that the episode aired.
Osit’s final interview is with Hansen himself. Osit asks Hansen a series of questions, mainly focused on the ethics of “To Catch A Predator” and “Takedown.” Hansen redirects these questions to focus on the people who have thanked him. He said survivors often approach him to thank him for exposing the predators. It seems as though Hansen is firm in his belief that he is doing a good thing; he doesn’t consider the consequences of relying on public humiliation to drive these shows.
However, Osit said that the interview with Hansen isn’t meant to portray him as an apathetic person, whether you agree with him or not. The film isn’t trying to pit the people who empathize with the predators against the ones who don’t. Instead, it asks the audience to consider why this specific form of media can be entertaining and if they are created for the greater good.
Regardless of whether you feel empathy for the predators who are caught, the victims should remain the focus. Today, according to the Beau Biden Foundation For The Protection of Children, there are around 500,000 online predators who are active daily in the United States. Minors are at risk of being preyed on, especially as the internet evolves. We as a society should work to prevent this, but it is equally important to care for survivors. Osit said he feels lucky because he has resources and family and friends who supported him. Osit said that, while he has nothing to be embarrassed about, society has told him he should be. Society expects victims of abuse to be ashamed of what has happened to them, so it’s important that all survivors have a strong support system present in their lives.
“We can heal a lot better when we’re surrounded by healing and not by punishment,” Osit said.
“Predators” is not just about “To Catch a Predator” – it’s about the importance of covering the topic of sexual assault in a way that supports the voices of survivors and avoids the trivialization of their experiences.
Edited by Alyssa Royston | aroyston@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Emilia Hansen | ehansen@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykontz@themaneater.com