Every ethical issue surrounding parents vlogging their kids’ childhoods for money is raised in Joscha Bongard’s debut, but it releases the dysfunctional tension too easilyWhen teenager Luca (Maja Bons) wants to watch the film of her birth, she finds it on YouTube. Same with the sweet, thoughtful chat her mum gave her about periods when she was nine or 10; it was filmed in the family’s podcast studio. None of life’s special moments go unmonetised in this satire from Germany, a horror story of family dysfunction. It’s a look at the dark side of the family influencer industry, raising just about every possible ethical question about parents vlogging their kids’ childhoods, and it’s impressively disturbing, up to a point.Sixteen-year-old Luca is the only child of Stella (Bea Brocks) and Chris (Liliom Lewald), social media stars who make viral videos of their perfect-looking family life for their 4 million followers. They live in a beautiful, sterile minimalist home in the countryside, and we often watch them through CCTV cameras fitted in every room. Shrewdly, first time film-maker Joscha Bongard doesn’t portray Stella and Chris as monsters; they love their daughter Luca, who they affectionately call Nunki. But fundamentally they do their best parenting in front of the camera, all bright smiles and proud affectionate glances. Continue reading...