This is a nationwide premiere screening in partnership with Glasgow Film Festival and features a post-screening pre-recorded discussion with Marc Silver (director), Ian Russell (Molly’s Father), Charlotte Campbell (Molly’s friend), Sophie Conlan (Molly’s friend), hosted by Carole Cadwalladr.
At just 14 years old, Molly Russell came home from school, finished her homework and said goodnight to her family. A few hours later, she took her own life.
Surrounded by a loving circle of family and friends, it was a life-shattering mystery to all who knew her. In search of an answer Ian, her devastated father, pieces the final months of her life back together only to discover that, when Molly looked at her phone, social media machines dragged her into darkness.
Co-written by Harvard professor and best-selling author Shoshana Zuboff, the film follows the trail of two narratives and their devastating convergence. Molly’s friends, family and associated professionals trace in detail what happened to Molly, while the economic logic behind Big Tech helped fuel an algorithmic spiral resulting in tragic consequences.
From a teenager’s suburban bedroom to the boardrooms of Silicon Valley, Molly Vs the MACHINES is the story of a heartbroken father’s quest to uncover the truth behind his daughter's death, and his fightback against how the most powerful corporations of the modern age operate.
Now, as Big Tech's global domination escalates with AI, Molly's story reminds us that the real power is still in our hands.