FAKE FAMOUS
US, 2021, 87 minutes, Colour.
Christopher Bailey, Dominique Druckmann, Wylie Heiner, Justine Bateman.
Directed by Nick Bilton.
Fake Famous is a topical documentary from HBO. Its focus is on fake celebrity, through social media, especially Instagram. While the topic is considered seriously, the style of communication tends to be glitzy surface, filled with Instagram images, and the touch of irony, even some mockery of those seeking this fake fame. Which limits its exploration and its depth – but serves as an alert to the wide audience (but probably not persuasive at all to the targets of its expose).
Nick Bilton, the director, had been a journalist, and is fascinated by this quest for fake fame. He decides to set up an experiment, interviewing a wide range of young people who filled in an application saying that they wanted fame. There is quite a range of interviews, introducing us, often surprisingly, to the interviewees obsessed by wanting fame. And, this, through social media, through Instagram, and the huge goal of assessing Likes, hundreds, thousands, desiring millions.
The decision was to use three of the candidates, setting them up in a quest for fame and Likes, Bilton and his team supplying fake Likes, building up the reputation of the candidates, their exposure to the wider public, their becoming Influencers, one of the goals of fame, to be regarded by their followers, to be taken up by companies as promoters of goods and products. This is a completely phony world.
Three candidates are chosen, Christopher Bailey, an African- American enthusiast who creates a business making unique designs for shirts, one-only shirts. He is also a rapper. Another candidate chosen is a young woman from Florida, moving to Los Angeles, seeking auditions as a model as an actress with some success with student filmmakers, Dominique Druckmann. The third is a young white male, almost stereotypical, also moving to Los Angeles, Wylie Hyner. A significant factor is that he is gay and proud of it, commenting upon having to leave his small hometown, but being at home in the gay culture of Los Angeles. They will want to be famous.
The central part of the film shows Nick Bilton and his team promoting the three candidates with varying degrees of success and followers.
Christopher Bailey eventually wants out, wants to be authentic, wants to be famous for himself rather than for building up fake followers and Likes. Something similar happens to Wylie Heiner, becoming more satisfied with his own life and not needing the fame, getting and ordinary job and settling down. Dominique Druckmann, on the other hand, is the success story, building up her likes, actually getting a number authentic followers rather than the set-ups from Bilton and his company. She gets auditions, sponsorships, all kinds of success and personal satisfaction. She is about to go on a paid luxury holiday in order to promote a hotel but…
The but concerns covid 19, there are sudden and immediate lockdowns, the centres of American cities deserted, the holiday cancelled.
However, the pandemic situation illustrates how followers on Instagram continue to look at the ever-increasing fake items posted, exploitation backgrounds for the seeking of fame (including the use of the mid-2020 riots in American cities, Black Lives Matter), a confirmation of the manufacturing of this world of Fake Fame.
There are some talking heads, especially actress-author, Justine Bateman, giving some background to this desire for fake fame.
