Filmmaker Confronts the Moral Dilemmas of "To Catch a Predator" in New Documentary

In the past few days, a new documentary titled "Predators" has been expanding to theaters nationwide after opening in New York and Los Angeles. The film provides an expansive and disturbing look back at the "NBC Dateline" segment "To Catch a Predator," which captivated audiences in the mid-2000s with its gripping fusion of vigilante justice and pseudo-"Punk'd" gotcha-ism.

Filmmaker David Osit had left "To Catch a Predator" in the past before gaining access to unedited footage from the show. The hours-long, unbroken interrogation shots captured the complete, ugly truth of the men confronted with the fact that their lives have been decimated. Compared to the editing rhythms of "Dateline," these weightier images reminded Osit of slow cinema auteurs, containing a thorny emotional complexity that true crime content doesn't typically allow for.

Osit's documentary reveals a grander scope as it goes along, uncovering a modern world of "To Catch a Predator" internet copycats performing their own vigilante operations. It also probes the figure of Chris Hansen, the original "Dateline" host, as an Oz-like figure discussed in hushed tones. Ultimately, the film forces the filmmaker to confront his own ethical struggles in producing true crime content, which has become a pillar of the nonfiction space.