Molly vs The Machines

In 2017, 14-year-old Molly Russell was found dead in her bedroom hours after saying goodnight to her family. By looking through her phone, it was discovered that she’d been exposed to thousands of images encouraging self-harm and suicide on social media over the months leading up to her death. Marc Silver’s moving documentary Molly vs The Machines tells Molly’s story and recreates moments from the inquest spearheaded by her father. It also takes a step back to show how the internet moved from an exciting digital frontier to a tool for CEOs to profit from personal data.

The feature is narrated by an AI voice, prompted to speak as “the machines” in Molly’s life and a Silicon Valley tech bro. While this creative decision initially seems like a jarring gimmick, hearing the robotic voice talk about watching the teenager grow up while harvesting her data becomes a chilling and voyeuristic reflection of today’s technological landscape. Reenactments of statements given by industry executives during the inquiry into Molly’s death further emphasise the gap between corporate greed and compassion. However, the filmmaker skirts around the counterargument that social media can provide a sense of community for vulnerable young people.

Films about the dangers of the internet and AI aren’t new. Unlike recent offerings such as Companion and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, Silver never lets audiences forget the very real cost that social media can have on children. Alongside sombre interviews with Molly’s father, the teenager’s friends likewise appear on camera to fondly reminisce about her and reflect upon how her death has impacted them and their views on social media. When viewers get to see some of the content that Molly engaged with (poems on suicide, images echoing thoughts of self-loathing, and one upsetting video), it’s hard to ignore the damage they caused. A montage of loved ones holding up photos of children who were influenced to take their lives by social media towards the end is a powerful statement of how widespread this problem is.

With Australia becoming the first country to ban social media for under 16s, and with talks of doing the same in the UK, Molly vs The Machines arrival couldn’t be timelier. By using Molly’s story to humanise the case for online regulations, Silver has created a poignant and deeply moving feature.