Horror and sci-fi have long been the genres most deft at commenting on current fears and societal ills, and so it makes sense that a great deal of both genres has turned its attention to how technology has forever altered the human species. Our obsession with our online personas has brought us to a point where some people have more vibrant e-lives than real ones. There’s a definite sense that we’re losing something to the machines we hold in our hands or place in front of our eyes. Of course, the dehumanization of women through online sex shows that allow for anonymity on both sides of the transaction are another element of the 2018 inter-experience that impacts human behavior in ways we probably don’t even fully comprehend yet.
It’s in that world that “Cam” unfolds, telling us the story of Alice (Madeline Brewer), who goes by Lola on the cam girl site at which she works. Alice hasn’t told her mother (Melora Walters) that 'Lola' is quickly rising up the ranks of the most popular cam girls on the site, fueled by loyal customers like the twitchy Tinker (Patch Darragh) and the gift-giving Barney (Michael Dempsey). Lola’s show is a bit different from the average cam girl, pushing the boundaries of taste and makeup, but in ways that feel unique. Lola tells her friends that she won’t fake an orgasm but the first show we see her do includes an elaborate routine in which she pretends to slit her own throat for tips, complete with excessive fake blood. From the beginning, “Cam” is asking interesting questions about what is real and how far someone is willing to go online for attention.
And then Alice wakes up one day to find Lola online doing a show. Someone who looks exactly like her and has her screen name and loyal customers is in a kiddie pool in a bikini, surrounded by blow-up dolphins. The customer service people at her company and the cops don’t really care that someone has quite literally stolen Alice’s identity. It’s just a cam girl account. What if someone was online with your voice and body doing sex shows? Naturally, Alice starts to crack, but she perseveres, digging deeper into the mystery of how this has happened. And if it’s happened before.
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