Tribeca 2022 | Mooptopia Review - A Stunning Documentary Short Showcasing the Perils of Content Creation

Going into Mooptopia, I didn’t know what to expect from Mooptopia. It had something to do with a TikTok star’s loss of fame. For some reason, wires had crossed in my brain, and I thought the docushort was about Anastasiya Borysovska being sent to live on a farm after losing her TikTok following. Maybe because I thought the docushort was called Mootopia?

Anyways, what Mooptopia is actually about is Anastasiya’s fast rise to TikTok fame, which unraveled the month after followers spread rumors that she was a Trump supporter and her life now.

This intricate story is handled quite well by director Delaney Buffett. Buffett fills the audience in on her rise to fame at the beginning of the short. That way, you have context for the latter half of the short, where Anastasiya is talking about the pressures she experienced when she was known as Mooptopia, and the pressures she still experiences on her new TikTok account, Rocktopian (but was called Rock Collector Monster at the time the documentary was filmed). Buffett lets Anastasiya speak for herself rather than put words in her mouth like many documentaries tend to do. Furthermore, you feel the pressures she’s feeling and feel like you want to learn more. I know I certainly do.

Another way Buffett allows Anastasiya to tell her story is by using the cinéma vérité style of cinematography. Buffett, in many shots, is holding the camera still, observing and listening to what Anastasiya has to say. Buffett also knows when to withhold, as well. In one scene, when she sees Anastasiya having a realization about what Mooptopia meant to her, she physically gives her the space to walk around & ponder this realization. This restraint was one of the best parts of the documentary. Buffett could’ve easily gone for a close-up on her face and held on that shot, but she made the smart choice & decided it was more important for the audience to feel the weight of that realization & then move on.

Even if you don’t know who Anastasiya Borysovska is, director Delaney Buffett does a great job of providing the audience with all the knowledge they need to do their own research on not just her rise to fame about the ins and outs of creating content for the internet.

★★★★★

Mooptopia is now screening as part of the 2022 Tribeca Festival. You can catch the documentary short by purchasing an At Home Festival Pass for $150, an At Home Shorts Pass for $25, or a single At Home screening ticket for $15.

Watch my interview with Delaney Buffett below!

Until next time!

Thanks to Thomas Stoneham-Judge from Movies For Reel, Shane Conto, Joseph Davis, David Walters, Ambula Bula, and Matthew Simpson for supporting Austin B Media on Patreon!