The Fyre Festival was at the same time both the meme and scam of the century, and now months later, it has resurfaced in the form of two viral documentaries. Don’t know which one to watch? Here are the pros and cons of each documentary.
Netflix: Pros
The footage shown was primarily from the planning of the event and was provided by Jerry Media. This footage proves that not only was there very little planning put into the event but that the planning was basically avoided by McFarland and Ja Rule.
Credit: Netflix
Andy King’s interview was exclusive to the Netflix documentary, which gave even more of an in-depth idea of what went on during the “planning” process.
Credit: Netflix
The Netflix documentary also gave the islanders of Exuma more of a voice. It focused on how more than just social media influencers and models were affected.
Netflix: Cons
Because the documentary was paid for by Jerry Media, it painted those insiders as victims. Credit: fyrecay.com
Furthermore, there wasn’t a lot of insight given to the legal matters of both the event and the aftermath.
Hulu: Pros
The Hulu documentary had a much more lighthearted focus and allowed viewers to laugh at those foolish enough to be involved with Fyre.
The Hulu documentary interviewed McFarland himself, which not only gave an inside scoop but also forced him to answer and acknowledge questions that the Netflix film did not. He was visibly uncomfortable and had to come face to face with what he had done.
Credit: Hulu
The Hulu documentary painted a more well-rounded picture of McFarland as a person, with interviews from various people and a focus on more than just the festival itself.
Hulu: Cons
While the interview with McFarland was insightful, it also brought him into the spotlight yet again and gave him another platform.
Credit: Netflix
Hulu also had to pay for him to give the interview, which inadvertently praised him for his scam.
Both documentaries were insightful and revealed so much about what we value in our social-media based culture, yet to truly get an accurate depiction of the event I would recommend watching both.
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