IMDb: 8.2/10
Director:David Fincher
There are only a few movies based on true stories which are actually entertaining. And there exists even fewer, which not only entertains us but also fascinates us because of the high amount of brilliance exhibited on the screen . The Social Network is one of the rare films which strikes an instant chord with the viewer. David Fincher successfully creates the perfect atmosphere of college life filled with mind blowing dialogues, which moves with the speed of light and keeps the viewers mind sprinting from one gateway of ingenuity to another, throughout the film.
In straight words, it is a simple story about the founding of Facebook and the how it affects the people in different manner, told in the most impressive fashion. Jesse Eisenberg plays the role of a Harvard undergrad, Mark Zukerberg who, in the beginning of the film talks about 'the genius IQ people present in China' on his date (now you can imagine how much of a geek he is). So obviously, after getting dumped by his girlfriend, the angry and intoxicated Mark gets an idea to create a website. He hacks into the databases of different residence halls of female undergrads and downloads pictures to create a site which in which guys can rank female undergrads on the basis of their attractiveness. The website becomes a huge success and the amount of traffic shuts down few parts of Harvard's network. He is then approached by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss to join as a programmer in their website named Harvard connection. Zukerberg takes that idea and builds that into Facebook. And thats where the fun begins..
All these stories are told through the resulting lawsuits against Mark. This film in its heart, is actually not about Facebook. Its about a guy who actually likes a girl from the bottom of his heart, but his high amount of intellect and the Harvard brand doesn't allow him to express his love. It takes you deep down to the core of Mark's point of view to look towards the world. Every viewer knows how knave he is, and he plays kind of both the antagonist and the protagonist of the film, but still the audience wants him to achieve what he wants to achieve. The way in which Mark is easily influenced by the bombastic talks of Sean Parker ( Justin Timberlake ), shows how a person in any circumstance is attracted towards power over their friends and the people who actually care about them. And as George Orwell says that 'absolute power corrupts absolutely', well that is what happens with Mark.
David Fincher has made great films earlier like Seven, Fight Club and Zodiac but with Social Network he has reinvigorated his extraordinary directorial abilities. The Social Network is definitely his best film to the date. The first scene, which is conversation between Mark and his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara) was shot in 99 takes.That's the kind of precision element which Fincher's film gives in the offing. His virtuousity makes the dialogues related to a 'chicken' sound like bank heist. The little details which he provides to the smallest scene and the way he makes all the actors to get involved in the scene by not giving them lengthy monologues but interesting and witty dialogues and impatient arguments, makes Social Network the defining film for today's youth.
The screenplay of the film by Aaron Sorkin is one of the biggest factors for the success of the film. He keeps the surprise element alive in every moment of the movie and keeps the movie understandable even after having a complicated story. And no wonder he is the the leading candidate to win the oscar in the category for the best adapted screenplay. The acting performances by Jesse Eisenberg as a glum geek, Andrew Garfield as Mark's best friend(or you can say Mark's only friend) and Justin Timberlake as the astute Sean Parker are commendable. They stick to their role with utmost perfection. The background score of the film is soulful and highly versatile.
The movie is not a autobiography of Mark Zukerberg, and David Fincher doesn't wants us to know what actually happened to Mark Zukerberg or to other people, he just wants to show us the how obscure ones life and emotions are from someone else's point of view. This movie is not only the best film of the year but also comparable to the great film like Citizen Kane, which is considered as the greatest film ever made in the movie making history. Well, if you are a student going to college like me, then this is the one film which you should definitely watch out for. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
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