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Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story

2025

TV-MA

Director

Skye Borgman

Runtime

102 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.7/10

Fair


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The documentary focuses on a specific criminal case involving child welfare and psychological manipulation. There is no evidence of LGBTQ+ characters or narratives addressing non-cisnormative identities.

Gender Representation

Fair

The narrative centers on female figures occupying positions of social and psychological authority. It examines how these women leveraged influence within traditional parenting and therapeutic frameworks.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Limited

The subject matter is rooted in a specific regional context in Utah. The cast and subject matter appear to lack significant racial or ethnic breadth.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Good

The film deconstructs traditional Western and religious institutions. It critiques the corruption of communal and familial structures by examining the intersection of therapeutic practice and extremist ideology.

Disability Representation

Fair

The film does not explicitly center on disability. However, the subject matter involves psychological manipulation and the potential impact of trauma on neurocognitive development.

Strengths

  • Provides a sophisticated deconstruction of traditional Western and religious institutions.
  • Offers a strong critique of how extremist ideologies can corrupt communal and familial structures.
  • Explores complex power dynamics through the lens of female-led social influence.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks significant racial and ethnic breadth in its subject matter and cast.
  • Provides no representation or narrative focus regarding LGBTQ+ identities.
  • Does not explicitly center or provide agency to characters with disabilities.

AI Analysis

Skye Borgman’s documentary provides a sophisticated critique of how social norms and unregulated therapeutic structures can be weaponized. The film excels at dismantling the perceived sanctity of traditional parenting and religious-adjacent psychological guidance, framing these as sites of systemic harm. However, the film lacks significant breadth in racial and LGBTQ+ representation. The narrative remains focused on a localized, relatively homogeneous demographic within the Utah region, which limits its broader social scope. Ultimately, the work functions as a deep dive into power dynamics and ideological influence. It prioritizes the investigation of systemic abuse over the defense of traditional social hierarchies.

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