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Profile (2018 film)

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Profile
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTimur Bekmambetov
Screenplay by
  • Timur Bekmambetov
  • Britt Poulton
  • Olga Kharina
Based onIn the Skin of a Jihadist
by Anna Erelle
Produced by
  • Timur Bekmambetov
  • Olga Kharina
Starring
Edited byAndrey Shugaev
Music byAndy Ross
Production
company
Distributed byFocus Features
Release dates
  • February 17, 2018 (2018-02-17) (Berlin)
  • May 14, 2021 (2021-05-14) (United States)
Running time
105 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Cyprus
  • Russia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.3 million[1]
Box office$1.9 million[2][3]

Profile is a 2018 screenlife thriller film directed by Timur Bekmambetov, from a screenplay by Bekmambetov, Britt Poulton, and Olga Kharina, based upon the non-fiction book In The Skin of a Jihadist by Anna Erelle. It stars Valene Kane, Shazad Latif, Christine Adams, Amir Rahimzadeh and Morgan Watkins.

The film had its world premiere at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2018, in the Panorama section. It was released in the United States on May 14, 2021, by Focus Features, and received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

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In order to investigate the recruitment of young European women by ISIS, journalist Amy Whittaker creates a new Facebook profile under the alias of Melody Nelson. She creates a persona online of a woman who has recently converted to Islam.

Soon Amy is contacted by Bilel, an ISIS fighter from Syria. They begin to talk to each other regularly and after some time she begins to develop real romantic feelings for him.

Cast

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Production

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The film is based on French journalist Anna Erelle's book In the Skin of a Jihadist about her investigation into the recruitment of young women by ISIS.[4]

Release

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The film had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2018.[5][6] It also screened at South by Southwest on March 11, 2018.[7] In March 2021, Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film, and set it for a May 14, 2021, release.[8]

Reception

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Box office

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In the United States, Profile was released alongside Spiral, Those Who Wish Me Dead, and Finding You, and grossed $260,000 from 2,033 theaters on its first day of release. It went on to debut to $730,290, finishing ninth at the box office.[9]

Critical response

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(L:R) Shazad Latif, Timur Bekmambetov, Valene Kane at Berlinale 2018

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 62% based on 94 reviews, and an average rating of 6/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Profile's unique narrative gimmick is enough to carry the film partway, but it's ultimately overwhelmed by an increasingly ludicrous plot."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 65% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 37% saying they would definitely recommend it.[9]

The film won the Panorama Audience Award at the Berlinale.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Screen Life" Films May Be the Next (Cheap) Genre Craze". The Hollywood Reporter. August 23, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Profile (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  3. ^ "Profile (2021)". The Numbers. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Meza, Ed (February 15, 2018). "Shazad Latif on the Voyage From 'Star Trek' to the World of Online Jihadism". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  5. ^ Clarke, Stewart (December 15, 2017). "Berlinale 2018: Panorama Section Focuses on 'Body Politics' and 'Resistance to Machismo'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  6. ^ White, Peter (December 15, 2017). "Berlin Film Festival Unveils First Panorama Titles For 2018". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  7. ^ "Profile". South by Southwest. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 23, 2021). "Focus Features Acquires Timur Bekmambetov Terrorist Thriller 'Profile'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  9. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 16, 2021). "Lackluster B.O. Weekend As US Pandemic Calms: 'Spiral' Sees $8.7M, Zack Snyder Netflix Movie 'Army Of The Dead' Opening To Est. $780K". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  10. ^ "Profile (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  11. ^ "Profile Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  12. ^ Press Office (February 24, 2018). "The Panorama Audience Awards go to Profile and The Silence of Others". Annual Archives: 2018. Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
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