Profile
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Actors: Valene Kane, Morgan Watkins, Christine Adams
PlotAn ambitious British journalist sets out to investigate the methods used by ISIS to recruit Western women. To research her story, she goes undercover and creates a fake online persona of a young woman who is intrigued by radical Islam. She uses social media platforms to engage with ISIS members and eventually catches the attention of an active recruiter. He establishes contact with her through video calls and messages, seeking to groom her for his cause. As they converse, she becomes increasingly absorbed in the narrative he weaves, inching dangerously close to complicating her professional boundaries with emotional involvement.
Her attempt at investigative journalism rapidly turns into a psychological maze as she juggles multiple identities while trying to maintain her cover. Her editor presses for results, putting additional pressure on her fragile mental state. The line between reality and pretense starts to blur, as she questions her ethical obligations amidst rising threats to her personal life. Isolation sets in as she distances herself from friends and family, who are unaware of the risky game she is playing. With every digital interaction, the tension escalates, jeopardizing her safety and challenging her moral compass, making her decide how far she is willing to go for an explosive story that could potentially derail her life.
Writers: Britt Poulton, Timur Bekmambetov, Olga Kharina
Release Date: 14 May 2021
Runtime: 106 min
Rating: R
Country: United States, United Kingdom, Russia
Language: English, Arabic
Home Video Reviews
Profile offers a compelling, well-acted narrative with smart direction, though the Blu-ray lacks extras; A/V presentation remains technically solid.
Read our review of Profile Blu-ray to find out more