Depp v Heard; Ithaka: The Fight to Free Assange

“If you were fascinated by proceedings, I am sure you will recognise plenty of what you saw in it, and perhaps you will learn something new from its collection of voices. But the idea that a case like this is normal and acceptable as entertainment fodder was bleak then, and remains bleak today. Depp v Heard tries to distance itself from the machine, occasionally hinting that there is something wrong, but in the end, it becomes only another cog, whirring away.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“Depp v Heard, a zippy three-parter that spliced their courtroom testimony to place their opposing stories side by side along with the partisan opinions of superfans watching, was a reminder that this was essentially a death match, a nihilistic duel with each participant blasting the other to pieces. It should be a cautionary warning to other celebrities that in such cases no one escapes without a reputational pasting.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The idea that braiding their narratives offers special insight is rendered moot by the extent to which the same technique was relentlessly applied by amateur sleuths during the case. The only difference here is that instead of TikToks lasting a few seconds, we’re subjected to three 45-minute episodes, broadcast on terrestrial TV.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“Depp v Heard doesn’t only provide a condensed account of the war of smears and counter-accusations waged between two Hollywood stars, the very-much-divorced Johnny and Amber. It also gives us a glimpse of how toxic the future of court reporting could be, if newspapers and TV are replaced by gibbering attention-seekers on TikTok.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Unfortunately, we’re now in a world where everything has to be black and white, where taking sides and shouting loudly is the route to likes and subscriptions. This was the focus of the programme, as much a study of toxic social media culture as a toxic celebrity marriage.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“While informative and entertaining, Depp vs Heard was, at its most base level, a well-organised series of second-hand clips.”
Emily Baker, The i

“Ithaka might be more a part of the campaign to free Julian Assange than an objective report on it, but that it ends up as a woolly piece about kooky outsiders is an indictment in itself: a better film about effective activists does not exist. Meanwhile, Ithaka convincingly makes the case that Assange’s nearest and dearest are fighting their hopeless battle on behalf of us all.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“There are few shades of grey here. Assange is a hero, he is morally right and powerful states are smearing the whistleblower to distract from their war crimes, is the drill. There may be truth in this but it might shine brighter in a less partisan setting (the producer is Assange’s half-brother).”
Carol Midgley, The Times