Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A deep dive into the hidden industry of digital cleaning, which rids the Internet of unwanted violence, porn and political content.
The Cleaners offers a genuinely revelatory look at the shadow workforce of content moderators in the Philippines, a subject almost entirely invisible to public discourse at the time of release. Its novelty is high because it combines investigative documentary rigor with haunting personal testimonies and a sharp political lens on censorship and power. The cinematography is competent and atmospheric without being visually exceptional. The plot structure — weaving together multiple moderator voices and case studies — is effective but occasionally uneven. The ending leaves viewers with appropriately unsettling ambiguity rather than tidy resolution, which suits the subject but may feel inconclusive to some.