LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 01: Felicity Morris, Bernie Higgins, Cecilie Fjellhøy and Pernilla Sjoholm attend a special UK screening of 'The Tinder Swindler', ahead of its launch on the 2nd February on Netflix, at Soho House on February 1, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Netflix)
Cover LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 01: Felicity Morris, Bernie Higgins, Cecilie Fjellhøy and Pernilla Sjoholm attend a special UK screening of 'The Tinder Swindler', ahead of its launch on the 2nd February on Netflix, at Soho House on February 1, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Netflix)

Does a bad dating app experience make for good TV? Tatler friends share their thoughts on the infamous 'The Tinder Swindler'

Introducing: Tatler Takes, your weekend guide to movies and series you must watch—or not. Today, we're asking our Tatler friends about their takes on some of the world's most talked-about films. We ask whether they loved it or hate it; and whether we should add it to our weekend lineups. 

This week, we're catching up with Felicity Moriss' Netflix documentary, The Tinder Swindler. With the testimonies of Cecilie Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjöholm, Ayleen Charlotte, The Tinder Swindler is a true-crime must-watch that has been the buzz both on and offline. 

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Since revolutionising the dating scene in 2012, Tinder has become the go-to app for those looking for love (or perhaps lust?). While many can lay claim to awkward dates or strange situations brought about by online dating, nothing seems to compare to the 2022 Netflix film, The Tinder Swindler. Based on a true story, and with testimonies of a handful of victims, The Tinder Swindler tells the story of the victims of Shimon Hayut, an Israeli man who signed up for Tinder under the name Simon Leviev, claiming himself to be the son of a diamond mogul. Charming women with lavish gifts, he would scam them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, cumulatively defrauding his dates out of 10 million dollars. 

So is it a yes or a no from our Tatler friends? Let's find out:

Ava Daza Zanirato

Tatler Asia
Above (Photo: @avadiazdaza / Instagram)

Did you enjoy the series? Please tell us why yes or no.

Yes, I loved it! I kept hearing people say it was good so when I finally watched it I was like, "Why didn't I watch this sooner?". It's just so relatable for a lot of people nowadays cause that's the new age way of dating!

If yes, what was your favourite part and why?
I loved watching how his scheme was put together so well. Something about the way he executed things really impressed me, I kept thinking I could've easily been fooled by this guy.

Tedrick Yau

Tatler Asia
Above (Photo: @thetedylicious / Instagram)

Did you enjoy the series? Please tell us why yes or no. 

I did! I think it's a good watch and I definitely would recommend it. Although it was a documentary, I felt like I was watching a drama/suspense movie with the many emotions it evoked from me.

Documentaries like this serve as a good reminder of the sad realities that can happen to anyone. Especially now that we're mostly engrossed in digital platforms, it was informative about the perils that come from being too engaged and trusting in online social networking channels. It is very timely as well; an eye-opener for many to be more aware and discerning of fake profiles and fake news.

If yes, what was your favourite part and why?

My favourite part was when the scheme was slowly unravelling and the swindler was being unmasked. When the investigative process began and the journalists started snooping, it felt like the climax was near. Justice will be served! Of course, I wanted the victims to find their own happy endings after the physical, emotional, and mental torture they had to go through. Being a fan of suspense and mystery thrillers, I got excited and more engaged to find out what happens next. Will he finally be caught? That aspect of the movie was interestingly yet carefully executed.

What do you think needs to be improved?

I think some parts dragged a little longer. The build-up for me took a while and it could have been shorter. The girl who was smart enough to sell some of the swindler's clothes could have been given more airtime. Her plan to outsmart the swindler was both fun and funny.

I felt that some parts were dramatised a bit more to maybe tug at the heartstrings. I mean, after watching almost half of the movie you already will empathise and feel for the two victims. Then again, a dash of extra drama always does the trick to make people more involved in the scenes.

See also: 6 Movies by Ryusuke Hamaguchi You Should Watch After ‘Drive My Car’

Michaella Lopez

Tatler Asia
Above (Photo: @michaellalopez / Instagram)

Did you enjoy the series? Please tell us why yes or no. 

I did. I'm such a big fan of crime-related documentaries. I got really frustrated overall because I found a lot of the girls [to be] really stupid at first because you could see that this guy had so many red flags. There were so many instances where you could totally question and be like, "This guy is super sketchy". He really emotionally manipulated all these girls so it frustrated me that a lot of these girls were more emotional than logical. But then I guess, when you're infatuated with someone, you're smitten by somebody, a lot of your logic goes out the door. As an outsider though, I was so frustrated with the girls because I thought, "Don't be so vulnerable. Don't put yourself in a situation like that." One of the instances in the documentary was when Simon was asking for USD 250,000 (such a ridiculous amount!) and he was telling one of the girls to get bank loans. I mean if someone asked me that, I would just cut all ties. I was happy though when the girls started getting revenge. That made me happy. 

If yes, what was your favourite part and why?

When the girls finally realised that they were being fooled and when they started being more logical than emotional [like] when they put him in jail. But I was really, really frustrated that even after they put him in jail, he was let go. And now he has a super hot girlfriend. I just find it so unfair because he didn't just target one or two girls, it was multiple females that were put in this situation. 

What do you think needs to be improved?

Overall, the quality of the documentary was really good. I liked the cinematography. I do wish they included more victims' [testimonies] in the documentary just so that there are more stories about what people went through. You can also learn so much from different people's experiences. In the documentary, I think there were only two or three girls that they interviewed, but he scammed so many others. Overall, I think it was a good documentary and watching it the second time, I think I enjoyed it more actually. 

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