Upamanyu Biswas
In Lifetime’s ‘Date At Your Own Risk,’ a lawyer named Eva finds herself in a web of deception after discovering that her ex-boyfriend, Will, may be hiding some dark secrets. When a local girl disappears and winds up dead, Eva begins to question what she knows about Will and whether he might be the one behind the crime. Matters get further complicated when she finds a post about a man named Mike on the private group forum ‘Does He Belong to Anyone,’ where women share messages about shady men they have dated in the past. The more Eva digs into the post, the more her doubts ramp up regarding Will’s real identity. To that end, the online forum ‘Does He Belong to Anyone’ plays a pivotal role in providing Eva with clues to the mystery while also highlighting the dangers of modern dating.
Does He Belong to Anyone is a Fictional Online Forum With an Underlying Message About Women’s Safety
The chat forum ‘Does He Belong to Anyone’ is a fictional creation of scriptwriter Courtney Cilman. It is one of the key elements within the film and integral to the entire investigation. Although it may be drawn from Cilman’s imagination, the online forum has some roots in reality. For instance, Facebook hosts numerous private groups known as ‘Are We Dating The Same Guy?’, where women can step forward and share information about the men they have dated in the past. In a way, this allows women within the group to become aware of the dating pool surrounding them and how many of these men could pose a potential threat. Thus, the writer may have taken some vague inspiration from such real-life online groups when crafting her fictional forum, which plays a similar role within the narrative.
It is also worth noting that ‘Does He Belong to Anyone’ plays a thematic role within the movie. Its inclusion helps promote discussion regarding the current state of women’s safety. While the Lifetime movie focuses on themes of crime, abduction, harassment, stalking, and abusive behavior, these concepts are more comprehensively explored by diving into the contemporary side of technology and how online dating has evolved. Recent studies from 2021 have showcased that four in ten people are subjected to online harassment in their lives, whether it be a sexual kind or another. Therefore, there is a growing concern within the populace with regard to safeguarding one’s life and career when diving into the world of online dating.
In the film, Eva is introduced to ‘Does He Belong to Anyone’ by her friend Jessa. After facing several difficulties with men, she is intrigued by the possibility of vetting her partner’s character before starting a relationship with them. Although it adds a layer of work before getting to the real dating phase, it ensures that people remain safe, as depicted in the movie. As the narrative progresses, the chat forum also plays a specific role, inciting paranoia and anxiety in Eva as she begins questioning whether Will is who he says he is. It helps build a layer of tension and conflict, making the entire ordeal more suspense-driven and exhilarating. Consequently, the forum plays a pivotal role throughout the narrative. However, despite its prominence, it is a fictional creation that does not exist in reality.
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