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Aaron Sorkin's 'The Social Reckoning' Explores Facebook's Dark Side

9:03 AM ETConfirmed

Entertainment Desk

In Short: Oscar-winning actress Mikey Madison stars as whistleblower Frances Haugen in Aaron Sorkin's legal thriller 'The Social Reckoning,' which dramatizes the 2021 Facebook leak.

Madison, fresh off her Oscar win for 'Anora,' chose the role to expand her career range, inspired by actresses like Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert.

The film follows Haugen and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, as they uncover Facebook's internal secrets.

Sorkin's script delves into Facebook's algorithmic manipulations, which favored user engagement over reputable news, leading to misinformation and negative societal impacts.

Madison's portrayal of Haugen highlights the whistleblower's journey from a devoted Facebook employee to someone concerned about the platform's direction.

Jeremy Strong, known for 'Succession,' portrays Mark Zuckerberg, emphasizing the tech giant's refusal to acknowledge any wrongdoing.

The film's Paris premiere Q&A revealed Sorkin's focus on Facebook's algorithms, misinformation, and the tension between growth and safety.

Despite its ambitions, 'The Social Reckoning' faces competition from Luca Guadagnino's 'Artificial,' a satire on AI and big tech, which premiered at the New York Film Festival.

Madison and White discuss their characters' dynamic, with Madison noting the importance of telling Haugen's story with integrity.

Sorkin's script aims to turn the whistleblower's story into a high-stakes drama, though some critics find it lacking in emotional depth.

The ensemble cast, including Billy Magnussen as a PR expert, and production values add to the film's exploration of Facebook's impact on society.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• A companion piece to The Social Network, the film follows Haugen and Horwitz as they uncover Facebook’s closely guarded secrets.

What's still developing

• For “Anora” star — and eventual Best Actress winner — Mikey Madison, the answer was both obvious and tricky.
• As Madison explains, picking her first post-Oscar gig definitely stressed her out, but her desire to grow her career and range ( a la Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert) helped push her to take on the project.
• “Star Wars” it is not, but working with Sorkin seems to have sparked something in Madison (even if she did go off-script a bit and read Haugen’s own memoir to prep for the role).
• Mikey Madison: I think it’s just incredibly rare in this day and age — and also very comforting — to know that there is someone who is willing to go on the line for the greater good of people that she doesn’t even know.
• So I did read her memoir and Aaron was like, “ Ugh.” [ Laughs ] What was most important for me is that I try and tell her story with as much integrity and love as possible.
• The Social Reckoning is really focusing on the investigation to what is now a behemoth company, thinking of itself as more powerful than any country in terms of its reach, now 2.9 billion and a place that is the only news outlet for half to two thirds of all Americans, and that “news” is part of the problem as Facebook is a haven for misinformation, an algorithm ripe for teen mental health, angry messages, human trafficking, foreign influence – you name it, and that is exactly what Horwitz ( Jeremy Allen White ) is looking at in his new gig at the tech reporter at the Wall St. Journal.
• An anonymous tipster offers him a good start and he begins a tentative relationship with a would-be whistleblower named Frances ( Mikey Madison ), a true devotee of the original facebook mission who is concerned about the wrong direction it is headed and just wants to see a small story break in order to help bring attention and fix it without anyone finding out she is involved.
• As Horwitz starts building his story, one that eventually will comprise many parts, we see Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) being rehearsed carefully by crisis PR exec Raya Akinola for a congressional hearing.
• He has now become an insanely wealthy tech giant who refuses to acknowledge there is anything wrong with his philosophy of keeping facebook a “town square”, a destination where people can say whatever they want.
• Facebook PR expert Teddy Marks (a perfectly slimy Billy Magnussen) is given a heads up that the story is going to break in WSJ and tells Zuckerberg it may be big trouble.
• In her first starring role since winning an Oscar for Anora, Madison continues to show impressive range and delivers a portrayal of a person who, against all odds, is proving we can all have a voice if we choose to use it.
• Strong eerily fills the role Jesse Eisenberg started (the actor refused Sorkin’s offer to return).

Sources

• Deadlinelink
• FlickDirectlink
• Flickering Mythlink
• IndieWirelink
• JoBlolink
• NMElink
• Screen Dailylink
• Seat42Flink
• The Hollywood Reporterlink
• The HoloFileslink
• The Vergelink
• WarpBeat — background on Mikey Madison Tackles 'The Social Reckoning' After Oscar Win link
• WarpBeat — background on Jeremy Strong to Play Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Reckoning link
• Wikipedia — background on The Social Reckoning link
• Sony Pictures Entertainment / YouTube — video link