Of human ups and downs

Every once in a while, along comes a film which portrays the real as a fractious compilation of human failings, surrender to the baser instincts, departures from the staid guidelines of societal behaviour and finally, unnatural, uncanny and unprecedented success. A chronicle of pseudo-modern realism, The Social Network (2010) by David Fincher is a matter-of-fact, pragmatic, often banal overview of the forces behind the Facebook phenomenon. It is not the usual gravitas-filled, pathos-induced biography that we are so used to watching. Mark Zuckerberg is not really the wartime hero who sends tremors of emotion through the gloating audience, nor is he the vile, repugnant anti-hero who elicits nothing more than hatred; he is a hero and an anti-hero all at once, a function of duality overwhelmingly and achingly real. He pilfers the idea of a global social networking website from his Harvard colleagues, the handsome, well-bred Winklevoss twins and their Indian friend, adds his ingenuity as a master programmer and $19000 of his best buddy, Eaduardo Saverin’s money and voila! We have The Facebook. Then, Sean Parker walks in. The former founder of Napster is now out of a job and looking to make big bucks. Zuckerberg, who can safely now be renamed “Suckerberg”, falls for the charms of the big-talking Parker who nets him a huge financial deal. And yes! On Parkers word “The” is dropped from Facebook! Then, what does Zuckerberg do? He quietly and coolly deletes Saverin from his friend list, reducing his profit share to 0.1 per cent. Not surprisingly, Saverin takes Zuckerberg to court and that, along with the Winklevoss’ trial, forms the backdrop of this little gem of a film. But, of course, the millionaire twins sue Zuckerberg for theft of intellectual property, a heinous crime in the haloed portals of Harvard. Based loosely on Ben Mezrich’s 2009 bestseller The Accidental Billionaires, the film is helped along marvelously by a taut, gripping screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Jesse Eisenberg is superb as Zuckerberg. The wronged former best friend Saverin is played to perfection by Andrew Garfield. However, the high point of the film is Justin Timberlake’s turn as Sean Parker. His rakish, over-the-top, loud act completely overshadows the second half of the film.