The Tinder Swindler
In 2010, Catfish warned audiences about the dangers of interacting with strangers online because they may not be who they seem. Now with dating apps being the normal way for meeting new people, this warning has never seemed more appropriate. And, as if to reiterate this message for the dating app generation, along comes The Tindler Swindler – the gripping feature debut from Felicity Morris.
Beginning as a typical by-the-numbers true-crime documentary, it opens with two women talking about their experiences dating one Simon Leviev: an exceedingly wealthy, jet-setting diamond mogul who they both met on Tinder. What started as hitting the dating jackpot and living a life of luxury, soon turned into something more sinister when he began asking for large sums of money to help him avoid people who wanted him dead, promising that he’d pay the women back in full. Telling their stories in their own words, Leviev’s victims are completely aware of the alarm bells that they missed at the time. However, the documentary makes a point of underlining how vulnerable humans can be when they believe they’re in love, and this is what makes Leviev’s crimes even more despicable.
At around the halfway mark, this documentary switches gears. It moves from a true-crime exposé to something more akin to an investigative thriller. New revelations lead to more twists and turns as the plot continues to thicken until the closing credits. This film will have viewers hooked right from the start.
The Tinder Swindler does act partly as a cautionary tale for those looking for love in a virtual world. But there’s more to this film than its shocking turn of events. It also functions as a cathartic form of justice against an evil human being who has ruined the lives of many by getting his face and crimes out there for a global audience to see. This Netflix documentary plays out like many other true-crime dramas on the platform. What distinguishes this one from the rest, though, is that it is a way for Leviev’s victims to ensure this man cannot do what he did to them to anybody else.
Andrew Murray
The Tinder Swindler is released on Netflix on 2nd February 2022.
Watch the trailer for The Tinder Swindler here:
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