The Sarkeesian Effect: Inside the World of Social Justice Warriors
- 2015
- 2h 36m
The Sarkeesian Effect focuses on the controversy surrounding feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian, Social Justice Warriors, and the GamerGate movement. The title is a play on 'The Streisan... Read allThe Sarkeesian Effect focuses on the controversy surrounding feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian, Social Justice Warriors, and the GamerGate movement. The title is a play on 'The Streisand Effect'.The Sarkeesian Effect focuses on the controversy surrounding feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian, Social Justice Warriors, and the GamerGate movement. The title is a play on 'The Streisand Effect'.
Photos
- Self - Narrator
- (voice)
- Self
- (as Brad Wardell)
- Self
- (as Tim Meehan)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOn November 25, 2020, writer/director Jordan Owen issued a public apology for creating the film and for his actions towards Anita Sarkeesian.
- Quotes
Himself - Narrator: By the time Anita Sarkeesian ascended on to the GDC awards stage there were two conflicting stories on how she had gotten there. The one put forth by Mr. Druckmann was the one put forth by the media at large. The story of a heroic young woman who overcame impossible odds to gain ground for women and minorities everywhere. It was a compelling narrative, one that fit well with the civil rights stories of the past. PBS even saw fit to compare Anita Sarkeesian to Rosa Parks, Harvey Milk and Martin Luther King Jr. But this appealing narrative doesn't tell the whole story. As Anita grinned ear to ear with trophy in hand thousands of gamers were watching something else entirely, the video game industry bowing down to a bully like none it had ever encountered before, a bully that used guilt and political correctness to have her way. The two narratives about Anita Sarkeesian, one heroic, one heinous had come to define the two sides in a bitter culture war in modern gaming that would soon explode in the controversial consumer revolt known as GamerGate. While the world at large looked on with confusion gaming culture stood divided over what can be called The Sarkeesian Effect.
The introduction is awkward. Owen has stated this film is for people like his parents, who don't know anything about the controversy surrounding Anita or Social Justice Warriors or the scandal known as GamerGate. Given that the film is about 2.5 hours, he should have had ample time to explain those concepts. He is unable to properly explain GamerGate, Anita or SJWs and as a narrator, goes off on tangents and gives unnecessary information that should have been edited out.
The documentary should have been at most 1.5 hours, but because Owen couldn't provide even a moderately decent documentary, instead decided he could just make it longer. It's like what middle school and high school students do when it's midnight and their paper is due first period the next morning. They fill the paper up with useless information and opinions, without any structure or understanding of what the assignment objectives are.
Another flaw of this documentary is that the narrator/directors tried to insert themselves as "characters". As a documentary, it should have been unbiased, told from an objective viewpoint with facts laid out clearly and conclusions based off of facts. The Sarkeesian Effect fails entirely to do this. Not only does it not have any clear concise objectives, it fails to paint Anita as the terrible person she truly is. In fact, this documentary is so terrible that it highlights Anita as competent.
You can clearly tell that Owen and Aurini have failed to even study up on what makes a decent documentary. As a narrator, Owen drones on and on and it is the most boring, monotone voice. Not only that, but what is shown on screen usually has nothing to do with what Owen (the narrator) is stating at the time, giving the audience a strange sort of weird disconnect. After about 20 minutes, the documentary is no longer watchable. You'll have to force yourself to sit through it.
The shots in the film are strange and all put at different angles and heights. Elbows, shoes, feet all hanging into view from the sides. A random violin pillow propped right in the middle of nowhere. People who are being interviewed who are in no way dressed professionally, in no way who offer a viewpoint that helps the film or who don't even know that much about Anita or Social Justice Warriors. Strange screenshots of tweets, website texts, with no zoom....etc.
This documentary was given about $90,000 minimum from backers. Quite frankly, I'm not sure where that money went. It was probably wasted on personal luxury items for Owen Jordan and Davis Aurini since there is no way that $90,000 was pumped into this film. Not only that but Owen is trying to get more money through pay-per-view on Vimeo before even sending backers their promised copy of the film. This film has been a scam for the backers, who were expecting a moderately decent documentary on Anita Sarkeesian and GamerGate and have yet to receive even the tiniest bit of quality or respect from Owen or Aurini. Another failing of the director Owen Jordan, who refuses to take responsibility for this failed documentary or even take a look at legitimate criticism.
Poorly edited, scratchy audio, bizarre shots, unimportant and unnecessary interviews, a waste of $90,000, monotone narration, it's best that you don't waste your money or time on this documentary.
- h-32413
- Sep 27, 2015
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- Also known as
- The Sarkeesian Effect
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $50,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 36 minutes
- Color