THE BOY SHE MET ONLINE

US/Canada, 2010, 89 minutes, Colour.
Tracy Spiridakos, Alexandra Paul, Jon Cor, Thea Gill.
Directed by Curtis Crawford.

The Boy She Met Online is a conventional television film – with a message and a caution.

Tracy Spiridakos portrays a vivacious seventeen-year-old, almost eighteen. Good at studies, she is about to go to college. However, in chats with her best friend, Lindsay, she becomes preoccupied with a boy that she meets online. He tells her that he is a college student for electrical engineering. She tells him she is eighteen.

The fact is that the boy is actually in prison and has lied to her. When he gets out, they meet up – and do tell the truth. She falls for him very strongly, deceiving her mother who is rather strict and concerned about her, going to meet him out of class and finding herself involved in a shootout. This moves the film to some melodrama as the mother tries to find her daughter, going to the sister of the young man, going to a cabin where they are confronted by a criminal with a gun.

The film is easy watching for a home audience. With its emphasis on the giggling teenagers, some people might find it a bit trying. However, Tracy Spiridakos is quite vivacious and brings her character to life, her infatuation, thinking she was in love, wanting freedom, lying to her mother and defying her – only to find out with some harshness the grim consequences of her choices. Jon Cor is good as the young man. Alexandra Paul is the mother. Thea Gill, a rather glamorous presence, as the mother’s friend has an influence on the young girl.

The kind of film that might be useful in education and family contexts to alert people to the dangers of online communication, deceptions, dangers.

1. A popular North American television movie? American issues, universal issues?

2. The teen audience, parents, teachers?

3. The credibility of the plot, the characters, the dialogue, the issues? The strength of the moral warning?

4. Cam at seventeen, her absent father, her failure to communicate with him, her wanting independence, feeling her mother was too strict? Intelligent, good at class, yet misbehaving in class, the mobile phone and confiscation? Her going to college? Discussions with Lindsay, sex preoccupation, the internet, the contact with Jake, his photo, his self-description, communicating with him, the phone calls? Deceiving him? Her needs, the risks, emotionally naive?

5. Jake, on the internet, his creating a personality, the reality, his sharing a cell with Dewayne, the background of the robbery, getting out of prison, parole, getting out – and being picked up by his friend Edgar?

6. Tori, the background of her life, her husband, separation, his death? Her being strict, control? Whether she was correct or not in her attitude towards her daughter, her daughter’s reactions, right or wrong? The range of confrontations? Cam lying, the mother discovering the truth, the mobile phone? Kendra and her arriving, friendship with Tori, advice to Cam? Kendra and her meeting Cam in the restaurant? Making the connections, enquiring, finding out about Jake? Tori tracking down Jake’s sister, the visit, the information about the cabin, going to meet her daughter, Edgar and the violence, her being shot?

7. Cam and her changing, the meetings with Jake, talks, sharing, admitting the truth? The reactions? Going out of class, the situation, the sexual relationship, Tori and more lies, leading up to the violence, her being a witness, pleading with Edgar, the shooting?

8. Lindsay, her friendship with Cam, fostering Cam in her relationship with Jake? Their chatting? The lies? Her boyfriend, his common sense, his warnings? Cam and her falling out with Lindsay after Lindsay discovered the truth and advising her against Jake?

9. Kendra, Tori’s friend, sympathetic, listening, reminding Tori about her own life as a teenager and her mother? Covering for Cam? Her warnings about consequences? Discovering Cam at the burger outlet, her warning?

10. Dewayne, in jail, using the computer, friends with Jake, getting out, staying with Edgar and Jake, his plan, the setting up of house with the three? Going on the quest for Vincent? His death?

11. Edgar, the criminal background, his friendship with Jake? Jake wanting to do the right thing, interviews for jobs, not getting them? The delivery to Vincent? Vincent and stealing the money? The pursuit, the death of Dwayne? Jake and his anger, going with Edgar, the gun, Cam as witness? Killing Vincent? His wanting to escape, with Cam, going to his sister, her not being able to put him up, the family cabin?

12. A moral tale, decisions, mistakes, mistakes that change life, disasters?

13. The optimism of the film in terms of building the relationship again between mother and daughter, and the daughter learning from her mistake?