Acclaimed director Katherine Brooks has directed two popular shorts and endless reality television shows. Now she is sinking her teeth into a full-length documentary, and she takes a really big bite. During a crisis in her life, she decides to meet 50 Facebook “friends” in person.
One would expect this film to be a piece of charming fluff, but from the very beginning it explores topics ranging from death to depression to addiction. The film is a raw and uncompromising look at the human condition. It is impressive how brave Katherine “Kat” Brooks is, exposing every raw nerve. It’s even more amazing how much baggage she carries, both literally and figuratively. The other subjects of the film, the “friends” are equally open and honest. It speaks to Brooks’ ability to connect with people that the “friends” open up to her so quickly.
The message of the film is that we cannot allow social media to become a barrier to real life, distancing us from people instead of connecting us to them. Every person Brooks meets either comforts her or is comforted by her. The importance of human touch cannot be denied. No matter what your own issues are, there is a good chance this film touches upon them.
Along the way, Brooks has several epiphanies, faces her past and makes important personal life decisions. Kat Brooks’ 11,ooo mile journey takes us to places we never expected to go.
