My Sextortion Diary sometimes struggles with its visual stylistic choices, which do not work for the entire length of the documentary. Still, it is saved by the harrowing story and journey that Patricia Franquesa endured at that time in her life to remain a compelling film.

Pati, a young film producer, is fighting to carve out a professional career in the film industry. Her laptop is stolen during a business trip to Madrid. Two months later, an anonymous Hacker accesses the data in the stolen device and finds three intimate photos of Pati. Resorting to blackmailing her for $2,400, or else he will mass-mail the pictures to ruin her professional reputation. The shame, anger and distress caused by the ineffectiveness of the legal forces lead Pati to set out on her own investigation to stop the hacker and regain control and power over her privacy.

My Sextortion Diary is a mixed bag of a documentary. What Franquesa went through during that period of her life in 2019 is horrific; her privacy was invaded, and her personal and professional life turned upside down. It is something that, as the documentary notes, is a worryingly rising trend for extortionists. When the film focuses on this journey, you are engaged and want to discover what happens and, importantly, if Pati will be mentally okay by what has happened to her. The issues come with how Franquesa has decided to present her film.

Utilising a screen lifestyle works at times in My Sextortion Diary but becomes almost distracting as the documentary continues throughout its 64-minute runtime. The constant multi-screen splits show Pati wandering around or trying to get through life work here and there, as well as her scattered mindset during this nightmarish time. But for it to be so heavily used begins to cause frustration. It has its place, but just not for the entirety of her film. By keeping it in this format, we lose part of the personal human touch that a documentary like this would thrive in, leaving us cold to it. This might, in fact, be the point that is trying to be made by what Pati felt during this time, but it is not necessarily one that needed to be given to the audience as well.

In fact, these moments of quiet as the screens appear and disappear cause not a reflection of a moment, but for the film to lose its impetus, the urgency that this situation story feels like it needs to put forward. The slow nature of the documentary almost sidetracks the entire piece. However, when she utilises this format to record her screen as she frantically researches and tries to douse the fires her hacker has created. Moreover, it becomes riveting to see when she does her own investigating to find out who this person is.

This is a shame, as Pati’s story is powerful. She is able to openly show her fears and anguish over what has happened and, importantly, show us how she battled back and took control of her situation by not letting the shame of what the hacker wanted her to feel take hold of her. That makes the documentary work so well and is vital to its overall success.

My Sextortion Diary presentation didn’t work for me on a personal level, but it will for some audiences. The aspect of the documentary that works best is what is the most important: Patricia Franquesa’s story and how she decided not to let it destroy her as she tries to find justice.

★★★

For more coverage of Sheffield Doc Fest 2024, please check out the reviews below.

Black Snow

Britain’s Forgotten Prisoners

Plastic People

Her Name Was Moviola

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