Predators by David Osit, USA 2025, 96

Why do we like to watch crime series? Are and to what extent are we complicit in consuming programs that prey on humiliation and basking in other people's pain? Catch a Predator was a popular television show by Chris Hansen from 2004 to 2007, prepared by NBC. It consisted of catching “on the bait” of potential pedophiles and making their image public when they appeared at the appointed place. Then, even in the light of the cameras, they were arrested.

The film shows the story of the popularity and then the spectacular decline of this show. It raises difficult questions about the social context of the problem of crime and punishment. We follow behind the scenes of the rise of the show and those who were the “bait” almost 20 years ago. We observe inept copies that were created on the Internet after the program came off the screen. We also get to know its creator closer, who talks about the legacy of the show that made him famous. The film touches on the legally and morally questionable method of using preventive action in the light of television cameras without thinking about its consequences. Are and to what extent are we complicit in consuming criminal shows that feed on humiliation and basking in other people's pain? Why do we like to watch this type of show?