Though this appears to be another sexploitation flick about child "sex trafficking" it turns out to be more of an inspirational legal drama. But it's a bait-and-switch on top of a bait-and-switch, because there is nothing inspirational about it. First of all, the victims depicted in the film would never have been located without Backpage, yet we're supposed to believe that Backpage bears all the blame. The makers of this movie even see nothing wrong with paying an actual pimp for an interview and paying parents to expose their children, who are much younger than the actual victims, as performers in a prostitution movie to make a more entertaining indictment of Backpage. Then, as the movie shows the legal actions against Backpage repeatedly losing in court, the viewer is given the impression that it's progress since the courts are exposed as being wrong. Backpage's greatest vulnerability turns out to be that it tried to moderate listings to remove blatantly illegal content, which is cast as concealing crime. Meanwhile there is zero attention paid to pursuing people who directly abuse kids, likely because, as the self-righteous sheriff accidentally reveals, sex slaves are difficult to find in the sea of listings of adults trafficking themselves, and the ones that are there are more like exploited underage laborers than kidnapped children. In conclusion, it's a creepy movie from people who hide the implications of the broad censorship they demand because they want to feel better about themselves at any cost.
Review of I am Jane Doe
