Tribeca Film Festival – In just two days, high school senior Anastaysia Borysovska became a TikTok sensation. Mooptopia explores her sudden rise to social media fame and the effects it had on her life, both the good and the bad. The short is an even-handed documentary about social media influencers and an intriguing look into the life of a TikTok superstar.

Borysovska comes across as very real. She essentially created the TikTok account Mooptopia because she had nothing else to do. I imagine that’s the case for a lot of teens. However, after she quickly blew up, the social media platform ruled her life. She spends much of the documentary talking about her likes, what people have said about her, and bemoaning the fact her initial account was blocked for violating guidelines. So, she sets up an alt account. On the one hand, the doc shows the genuine creativity and thought that goes into some of her videos. On the other hand, she admits at one point that she created and uploaded six videos in about 10 minutes for the alt account. The documentary does raise the question: are some of these videos sheer content created to up the likes and followers, or are they art? Who decides?

Mooptopia, directed by Delaney Buffett, is careful never to preach or create a line in the sand about TikTok one way or the other. That said, you do have to wonder about the mental health effects, especially when Borysovska is shown in bed, scrolling through comments and obsessing about what’s said about her. Maybe there is a positive, though. Because of her social media success, the teen decides to leave Maryland and go to LA, hoping to become an actress. Perhaps the platform truly empowered her to pursue her dreams. That conclusion is left to the viewer.

Overall, Mooptopia is a compelling look into the life of a TikTok star, including the highs and the lows. There’s an intriguing conflict here, specifically the star’s drive for new likes and her awareness that there’s more to living than uploading content. The film lets the viewer decide if TikTok has more positives than negatives. Borysovska says more than once, “TikTok isn’t everything,” but it’s tough to believe her.

7 Out of 10