Broken Star Tracks the Psychology of Validation in the Social Media Age

Likes, favourites, retweets – the lasting mental effects of those notifications so ubiquitous on social media remains largely unknown, with terms like “Facebook depression” slowly making their way into the mainstream. A society built around a simulated form of validation surely has some effect on human psychology – especially on someone living in the public eye.Broken Star, the first feature film from Dave Schwep, examines the effects of fame in the age of social media, following starlet Markey Marlowe (Analeigh Tipton), a young actress who craves to hold on to her fame through any means possible.“You could also say it’s about an actress who is put on house arrest and connects with her landlord (Ontario’s Tyler Labine) in a unique way, where she discovers the depths of her darkness,” Schwep said. “But I would lean towards more the need to be seen and the need to be validated.”Distributed by Cineplex Pictures, the film is Schwep’s first narrative feature, having previously directed the documentary Bo in 2012. He said he decided to tackle Broken Star as his first feature after reading the script by writer David Brant.“We all deal with social media. People get their sense of their own identity based on what other people like – whether it’s a photo or a tweet, but none of that stuff is real. I think what people really want is to figure out who they are,” Schwep said. “We’re so lost in society when we’re constantly watching these videos that don’t really matter. None of that stuff really matters and what really matters is who we are. The character in the film is basing her identity off how other people think of her instead of how she sees herself.”Though fame has been present in some form throughout history, celebrities and notable individuals have never had direct, constant access to audiences like they do through social platforms. Schwep said developing Broken Star in that context allowed him to make a film more “out-of-the-box” compared to traditional thrillers.“We don’t really have a track record to see how (social media) is affecting the next generation. I think it’s fascinating to make a film right now about that,” he said. “I think it will surprise people and make them think – the film has more questions than it maybe has answers, which I think is also important, asking ourselves questions and not being fixated on answers – because, in the end, the answers change.”Schwep said Tipton and Labine added layers to the characters, bringing their own experiences and perspectives to the film.“(Tipton), she really dove into the role and brought out a lot of deeply disturbing and emotional and compelling drama,” Schwep said. “And Tyler Labine, he’s never really played a role anything like this before. He really delivered an alluring insight into the darkness ultimately within our society.”Though Broken Star features some elements typically associated with the thriller genre, Schwep said the film was more a psychological drama, building a portrait of a psychological state.“In this age of social media, I think anyone can relate to this topic of wanting to be seen, the toxic need for attention and validation of that attention. It’s something that plagues us all,” he said. “The film is a window into the psychology of an actor seeking out the attention of others and doing anything to keep it. It’s a dark journey within. My hope is that people will be inspired to look within themselves and be able to apply the psychology to their own lives.”Read Original