REBIRTH (2016) Netflix Review (SPOILERS)
SPOILERS AHEAD
"The product sells itself."
That's all I need to hear to identify a pyramid scheme when I see one. The Rebirth program is nothing more than a pyramid scheme on crack. Disguised as a self-help seminar, the program focuses on targeting men with a weak will and juicy bank accounts. The program's focus is to isolate, brainwash, and recruit people. Meanwhile, they acquire evidence worthy of blackmail and hack their victims' bank accounts. This leaves their targets with no choice but to take the job offered to them to earn back their money and keep their embarrassing information under wraps. Thus, they are trapped in the scheme indefinitely.
This intriguing Netflix original, "Rebirth", follows a young social media specialist Kyle. At the surface of his life, he is a cliche businessman in a rut with his desk job, suburban home, and fancy car. After digging deeper, we see just how lucky he is to have a career within the realm of his chosen field and a care-free boss. With a degree in creative writing, his job in social media gives him an easy, well-paid outlet for his skills. As a writer, I can say how difficult a lucrative career in writing can be to obtain. Kyle is extremely fortunate. Not just in his employment, but also his home life as well. He has a beautiful home and a devoted family. He has love.
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves." (NLT)
Only when his old college friend Zach appears out of nowhere and pressures him to partake in his twisted seminar "Rebirth" does his life fall apart. The seminar is a lie. All of the marketing videos paint the picture of a beautiful get-away with fun activities and outgoing people. Instead, a dark building with boarded windows and a never-ending maze of doors awaits. He becomes a prisoner to the manipulation of this "cult". They humiliate him, beat him, and wear down his resolve with claims that he lacks a backbone.
Perhaps not. There is, however, one thing he knows in his heart. He wants out, and they refuse to set him free. He finds that backbone by finding his escape and taking it. That should be the end of Kyle's nightmare. That is when the predator Zach reappears, this time in his home after cleaning out his bank account and all his property. In the place of Kyle's earned money is an inventory of "Rebirth" brand products ranging from clothes to food.
"Even small cults are a serious cost on the world economy, to victims, their families, employers, friends, and credit-card companies." (Keith Henson)
Thus, Kyle is given mere minutes to chose in the small window before his wife and daughter enter the house. Will he take the job offered to him or risk losing his financial security and family? Will he sell his soul to a pyramid scheme or work hard to secure his freedom?The tragic outcome of this poor man is more terrifying than any monstrous horror film. These kinds of schemes run rampant in today's society. I've seen the financial devastation they cause with my own eyes. It is a true horror of our time.
Let this film act as a lesson: STAY AWAY FROM PYRAMID SCHEMES.
