TikTok Never Dies, directed and edited by Hao Wu, makes its Scottish premier at CSDF as it claims to follow the journey of three TikTok creators as they fight the US Government’s ban.
In reality, journalists and political figures, including Raja Krishnamoorthi, who wrote the bill that passed to ban TikTok, pull the story together in talking head interviews.
The creators, Steven King, Chloe Sexton, and Topher Townsend, work as part of the group of eight creators who sued Congress in line with their First Amendment Right.
Beyond their upset at the potential loss of livelihood and community, we hear very little of the actual fight and the mental toll that is put on them is over-dramatic and only feeds the idea that “its only an app”.
Sexton emerges as the most prominent of the three as so much of her story unravels. She comes across most sympathetic as her family play a bigger role. The time spent with her family through TikTok proves emotional in the countdown to its closure.
Townsend sits on the opposite end of the political spectrum as an avid Trump supporter. The documentary remains critical of Trump with the creators having to assess their options between supporting him or losing TikTok.
The documentary utilises embedded TikTok clips to express the unity on the app as well as the range of creativity. These snippets of seemingly random creators are often more memorable and engaging than the three we are supposedly following. Despite the outdated trends that break the tension.
The visuals of TikToks on screen remain engaging. Vibrant visuals gives the shutdown more emotional weight than the reactions as the documentary loses its most prominent stylistic factor.
The documentary ultimately ends up as the story of Trump’s relationship to TikTok. It’s a worrying look at how he uses it in the 2024 Presidential Election and international politics. This is the more pertinent story to tell but not the promised or more interesting one.
An in depth look at the events come across as surface level. The message of the film shifts from a positive look at TikTok to a damaging warning of the internet. Like the story, the documentary feels unresolved and without a specific call to action.
For someone who understands no more than the Americans “disappeared” from TikTok for 12 hours, the documentary is a fascinating watch. In years time this will be a time capsule of the extraordinary political events and the comical videos that were posted in contrast.
Featured Image Credit: Tripod Media
Journalism and Film and Media student. @darcyrobson_journalist
