For those who are treating this as a crime/thriller episode and nothing else and saying it "isn't Black Mirror," I think you're all missing a few key things.
Black Mirror has several episodes that could happen in the current day without anything "future-tech-y" in them. The National Anthem, Shut Up and Dance, and Smithereens are the most compelling of those for me personally. Davis even has a Waldo sticker (from The Waldo Moment), which I took as a sign that this episode is in the same real, current-day universe that that episode takes place in. Just because there isn't any crazy new technology in these episodes does not make them less compelling as a social commentary. In some ways it I would argue it makes them much more relevant and they hit much closer to home.
In a similar vein, Loch Henry might not have any technology from the future, but it is still a solid commentary on true crime as a genre, specifically its consumption in digital media platforms. It looks at how filming true crime involves using the victims as tools, being disproportionally impacted as their pasts get drudged up. Davis is clearly uncomfortable making this movie at the start and gets pressured by his partner and friend into doing something he does not want to do, but they are only focused on what filming the story will do for themselves. The film corporation is hesitant since it's "another Ted Bundy," only less interesting/well known, wanting something personal/special to set it apart, not caring what emotional toll that might have on him. And when Davis' life falls apart around him, he is still clearly just a tool - standing on the side of the stage when the award is given, his feelings ignored by his friend calling him to say the bar is packed, etc. Davis does not matter, only the story, its consumption, and its impact on everyone around him do.
If you want to say the commentary isn't compelling, that's your opinion and I respect it. But I feel like so many people are missing the fact it is there in the first place just because there isn't some shiny new tech at the center of the plot.
Black Mirror has several episodes that could happen in the current day without anything "future-tech-y" in them. The National Anthem, Shut Up and Dance, and Smithereens are the most compelling of those for me personally. Davis even has a Waldo sticker (from The Waldo Moment), which I took as a sign that this episode is in the same real, current-day universe that that episode takes place in. Just because there isn't any crazy new technology in these episodes does not make them less compelling as a social commentary. In some ways it I would argue it makes them much more relevant and they hit much closer to home.
In a similar vein, Loch Henry might not have any technology from the future, but it is still a solid commentary on true crime as a genre, specifically its consumption in digital media platforms. It looks at how filming true crime involves using the victims as tools, being disproportionally impacted as their pasts get drudged up. Davis is clearly uncomfortable making this movie at the start and gets pressured by his partner and friend into doing something he does not want to do, but they are only focused on what filming the story will do for themselves. The film corporation is hesitant since it's "another Ted Bundy," only less interesting/well known, wanting something personal/special to set it apart, not caring what emotional toll that might have on him. And when Davis' life falls apart around him, he is still clearly just a tool - standing on the side of the stage when the award is given, his feelings ignored by his friend calling him to say the bar is packed, etc. Davis does not matter, only the story, its consumption, and its impact on everyone around him do.
If you want to say the commentary isn't compelling, that's your opinion and I respect it. But I feel like so many people are missing the fact it is there in the first place just because there isn't some shiny new tech at the center of the plot.