“Glitch: The Rise & Fall of HQ Trivia,” by director Salima Koroma, at first glance resembles many other recent rise-and-fall stories, mostly describing in sensational terms the hubris and Icarian plunge of Silicon Valley start-ups, social media platforms, mobile phone manufacturers, and even video game developers.
The story of HQ Trivia, the short-lived smartphone quiz game that captured the imagination for about six months starting in the winter of 2017, shares a few superficial similarities with “The Social Network” and this year’s smash hit “Blackberry,” namely the interpersonal friction that arose between the co-founders of HQ – Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll, who died of a drug overdose in December 2018 – along with the usual corporate infighting, financial drama, and callow jockey in search of power that have become hallmarks of the genre. Big egos clashed; fortunes swelled and vanished. And all of that, to an outside observer, has the chilling thrill of a true-to-life “Game of Thrones.”
But the documentary “Glitch” is more cunning and clever than some of its number-drama contemporaries, and the story it loves to tell is more interesting and complex than the battle of two domineering egoists who came up with a new app. Koroma cleverly situates its headquarters in several interlocking contexts, from the history of the TV game show to the long-changing landscape of social media and mobile video streaming. She understands that this live trivia app was aiming for nothing less than a revolution in broadcasting, and she makes a compelling case for seeing its achievements (and its potential) in that light.
She also gets plenty of intellectual mileage from a bevy of insightful and entertaining talking heads, most notably journalist Taylor Lorenz, a former DailyExpertNews reporter who recounts the bizarre controversy surrounding the publication of an HQ-related puff piece with caustic glee, and former HQ host Scott Rogowsky, whose eccentric charisma and almost old-fashioned showman banter are as enjoyable here as they were when he was the app’s beloved star. In the end, the documentary strikes a bewildered tone befitting its strange and strangely delightful subject, summed up perfectly by Rogowsky’s cutting final remarks: “Oh – that all really happened.”
Glitch: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia
Not judged. Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes. Look at max.
