Phreaker’s Bleak Freaks
Still from Phreaker. Photo courtesy of the Calgary International Film Festival.
On Saturday, October 3rd, the NaAC Film Ensemble attended the Calgary International Film Festival’s screening of Phreaker (dir. Adam Yorke). Based on true events, the film depicts “phone freaks,” hackers who use telephones. The narrative follows Jake Bellman, a blind teenager who discovers the world of phone party lines, quickly becoming obsessed with newfound friends and power. Things aren’t as great as they seem, as he begins committing fraud and lands himself on the FBI’s most wanted list. An action thriller with surprising comedic moments, the film is the debut feature from director Adam Yorke, and the second film from production company Di Brina Film (whose 2021 film See For Me also features a visually impaired protagonist).
The following are reviews of Phreaker written by filmmakers living with various disabilities from the NaAC Film Ensemble:
Kathy M. Austin: I think this film is really well done. Of course, as a blind person, I love something about a blind person because they are so rare in film. I’m pleased that a blind actor played the blind character. The movie showed the name-calling someone who is different has to endure. Somewhat of a stereotype in that he is a totally blind man, but at least he was a cane user. Among the blind people I knew when I was young, it was making cassette tapes and sending them through the mail.
Very sad ending. I didn’t like having to imagine what happened to the character. Good to show the loneliness and isolation a person with a disability can face. Kudos for trying to break the myth of people with disabilities being asexual, and for showing they are still capable of committing crimes. I think that he was a very sympathetic character even though he was doing illegal things.
Daniel Desaulniers: It was a good movie. I liked that he pretended to be people on the phone. He got caught but he also helped the FBI. He was getting what he wanted using a keyboard and a phone system. I thought it was a good movie and an exciting movie. In the end, he only had one friend; it was a sad ending.
Devin Hyndman: Phreaker is a dramatic tale of a lonely blind teenage boy who finds connection through his touch tone phone. The film goes over some of the real history, though notably not mentioning the infamous whistle used to generate token tones. It sounded like they were basing it heavily on Kevin Mitnick, because he got sentenced to solitary confinement. He didn’t do any violent crimes but he was a different kind of hacker, very sad story.
I found the humour in Phreakers a bit uneven and referential, but as someone who lived through this era, it was lacking for me. The time period seemed a bit anachronistic to me, as 2004 seemed very late and when pay phones started disappearing. Like Catch Me If You Can, it relies on the dramatic retelling of the relationship between criminals and pursuers, but glosses over specifics of the seriousness of the crimes being committed and those harmed (i.e. wire-fraud). It gives a realistic slice of life to the era and experiences, particularly the joy and despair of gaining a voice and losing it. 4/5
Sachi Morishita: I liked the film. Normally disability-themed films are about overcoming tragedy; the main characters aren’t usually villains. A lot of people think disabled people don’t do bad things, but anybody can get into crime or fraud. So, I liked it was subverting the usual disability stories.