Primetime is a dim light cast on a past that is not the past, an engine-bay window into the feedback loop between crime and spectacle that has turned American democracy into a mulch of atrocities that are at once increasingly shocking and as old as humanity itself. It’s one of the most visually striking films of the year from its first shots, and one that demands most urgently to be seen in a theater as it plays out almost entirely in close-ups, the shots that benefit most from theatrical projection.
Primetime presents a kaleidoscope of events surrounding “To Catch a Predator” and host Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson, who also produces). The film presents itself within a strict timeline from the show being moved to the 9 p.m. timeslot leading up to the suicide of Bill Conradt (Alex Winter) on Nov. 5, 2006, but also incorporates attempted poaching from knockoff hidden camera show “What Would You Do?” and coverage of Hansen’s extra-marital affair, which wasn’t exposed until several years later.
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