From a teenager’s suburban bedroom to the boardrooms of Silicon Valley, Molly Vs the Machines is the story of a heartbroken father’s quest to uncover the truth behind his daughter's death and his fightback against how the most powerful corporations of the modern age operate.
Synopsis
At just 14 years old, Molly Russell came home from school, finished her homework and said goodnight to her family. A few hours later, she took her own life.
Surrounded by a loving circle of family and friends, it was a life-shattering mystery to all who knew her. In search of an answer Ian, her devastated father, pieces the final months of her life back together only to discover that, when Molly looked at her phone, social media machines dragged her into darkness.
Co-written by Harvard professor and best-selling author Shoshana Zuboff, the film follows the trail of two narratives and their devastating convergence. Molly’s friends, family and associated professionals trace in detail what happened to Molly, while the economic logic behind Big Tech helped fuel an algorithmic spiral resulting in tragic consequences.
From a teenager’s suburban bedroom to the boardrooms of Silicon Valley, Molly Vs THE MACHINES is the story of a heartbroken father’s quest to uncover the truth behind his daughter's death, and his fightback against how the most powerful corporations of the modern age operate.
Now, as Big Tech's global domination escalates with AI, Molly's story reminds us that the real power is still in our hands.
Director's Statement (Marc Silver)
Telling this story was never solely about the harm done to a 14 year old girl, or the rights of all children, or the tech policy changes needed to protect them - as essential as all those things are.
We made the film as a warning about the people who control the machines, about their vision for our future and the type of power they wield.
That power is quite literally in our hands.
Everyone, everywhere, all at once tethered to Big Tech’s machines.
All of us connected to the digital, no matter who we are, no matter what we believe, are invited to watch Molly Vs THE MACHINES.
And then ask questions.
Questions like, ‘What right did the machines have to even ‘know’ that Molly was depressed? Remembering that her family, friends and teachers did not know.’
Questions like, ‘What right does Big Tech have to know anything at all about what we are doing, and how we are feeling?’
‘What right do they have to convert our lives into data, for their machines to consume?’
‘What right do they have to manipulate how we behave without us being aware?’
Ultimately we made Molly Vs THE MACHINES to help spark the huge shift needed in how we as individuals and communities see and understand Big Tech.
Over the course of making the film, the question I’m always asked is ‘what can we do about this?’ Of course, there is a wide spectrum of answers out there offered by people far more qualified than me, but nevertheless here’s what I've been imagining.
We could restrict Big Tech’s access to our lives.
We could begin by reclaiming our bedrooms as private places, prohibiting data extraction from within those four walls. After all, in the real world, we don’t let strangers sit at the foot of our beds to observe and manipulate our behaviour like puppeteers.
We could then extend the zone from bedrooms to entire houses.
To cars and public transport.
To schools, workplaces, parks, playgrounds and places of worship.
This would end the transformation of our selves into their data that is then monetized and used to manipulate us. This would give us back some control of our lives - and redirect where our democracies are headed under the steer of Big Tech.