Predators (2025)

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  ScreenZealots

  5 / 10

  Director David Osit’s “Predators” is a documentary that digs into the controversial world of “To Catch a Predator,” the notorious reality news show where men were lured into sting operations to meet with decoys pretending to be underage children.
  
  On one hand, it’s satisfying to watch these men get caught red-handed by host Chris Hansen. After all, these are guys showing up to meet kids, so the instinct is to just be glad they’re being exposed. But this documentary doesn’t just give you that satisfaction: it makes you wrestle with some uncomfortable truths about the whole situation.
  
  The film takes a deeper look at the ethics of the show and the media spectacle around it. By interviewing previous “decoys” (shorthand used to describe the actors who pretended to be kids online), we get a glimpse into how stressful and morally tricky their job was. Since they were pretending to be underage children with cops waiting in the wings, the pressure they endured to make sure they didn’t slip up was brutal.
  
  At the same time, Osit reveals how the show wasn’t just about stopping predators, but it turned real human lives into entertainment. That’s a lot to process, especially when he includes clips of several marks caught on the show who absolutely need serious mental help, even though their actions are beyond disturbing. The documentary tries to open up the conversation about the men involved, making viewers question if they are just monsters or if there is more to their story that’s worth exploring.
  
  It’s a tough thing to even consider because, let’s face it, seeing a 37-year-old man trying to meet a 13-year-old for a romantic encounter is beyond horrifying. This proved to be too big of an obstacle for me as I have zero sympathy for these pedophiles, but Osit’s question about what happens when entertainment and public service collide did make me think. His documentary presents a serious examination of this type of entertainment, exploring if it is successful in its mission or does nothing but create a moral high ground for viewers.
  
  It’s frustrating how the documentary doesn’t totally answer all these questions but instead presents a lot of angles without fully tying them together. It left me confused about what the takeaway is supposed to be. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the filmmaker inserting himself into the story (there’s a reason why he does it, but it took me out of the bigger conversation about the ethics of the show).
  
  In the end, “Predators” leaves you with a lot to think about as it asks tough questions about voyeurism in true crime. It’s a conversation starter about the ethics of turning real people’s lives into a TV spectacle and what we’re really doing when we consume that kind of content.
  
  By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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