Review of Profile (2018) by Tvjerry — 18 May 2021

Russian director Timur Bekmambetov launched an impressive career with his vampire films Night Watch and Day Watch. His output since then has been uneven. This one falls in the less notable efforts. It’s based on a French journalist’s book In the Skin of a Jihadist about her investigation into the recruitment of women by ISIS via social media.

This version takes place in England, where the reporter assumes the identity of a converted Muslim to form a relationship with a fighter in Syria. The most unique thing about this film is the approach: It all takes place on her computer, using Facebook, Skype and other screen-based apps.

This has been at least twice before (Searching and Unfriended), so it’s not that new. And, it’s been done better. Watching her relationship expand is intriguing, but very slowly paced. Even when she starts to make dumb decisions, the tension barely surfaces.

The concept is better than the execution.