The Red Light Rules: Cam
Imagine logging on to your social media and realizing someone else has already logged on as you. And there’s literally a clone, a fucking look a like version of you on your page, creating content. Cam is scary not only because of the creepy, gory imagery but also because of its social commentary about how we show up online.
To me, Cam is a discussion about losing yourself (literally) to a version of yourself that you create for social media. Not your real self, the performative version that you have to upkeep for followers, viewers, subscribers, etc. I don’t think the commentary is necessarily that “you should be yourself,” rather taking the idea of having a secondary self for online spaces to its most extreme finality: a literal clone.
Although this movie came out before the current boom in discussion about AI, I think this film is also a discussion on AI. Specifically, what it means to have non-human versions of us attempting to do work that requires humanity, which includes sex work.
Some of the things I loved about Cam are watching Lola interact with her tricks. There’s a moment where she’s talking to a trick who is clearly deeply invested in her success as a cam model but you can tell that she’s using him for leverage and the moment a trick with more money calls her, she immediately hangs up on the original guy. And that’s real as fuck lol
I also loved that we get to see Lola in so many different circumstances. We see her on camera performing, but we also see her preparing to shoot, eating after a show, talking to other sex workers, unboxing gifts, interacting with her family, etc. I especially love the moment we watch her take selfies of herself and the scene where she’s with her family but simultaneously shopping for expensive couches online (big checks = upgrading your space with shit with your hoe money!)
It’s no surprise that this film scored well because it was written by a sex worker. The only reason it did not get a point for “does the sex worker have a personal storyline, hobby, or interest outside of their sex work?” is because the film only exists within this one area of her life. It still could have been cool to highlight something else in her universe, but I think overall Cam does a good job of centering Lola’s autonomy. Which is affirmed in the ending where, even after this disturbing series of events, she simply rebrands and creates a new webcam page so she can continue being a sex worker!
– Raquel
Cam scored 3/4 on The Red Light Rules™ test that assesses portrayals of sex work in media. We created 4 questions to determine this:
1. Does the film show an understanding of choice, circumstance, and/or coercion? yes
2. Does the SWer interact with another person in a positive manner unrelated to SW? yes
3. Does the SWer have a storyline, hobby, or interest outside of SW?
4. Does the film have a happy and/or non-traumatic ending for the SWer? yes
