The Highest of Stakes (2023) Film Review
If there’s something we should appreciate about Patrick Moreau and Grant Peelle‘s The Highest of Stakes is that while staying impartial, their documentary is also very clear on the subject that it touches, and which is inherently complex and hard to understand by most. Cryptocurrency. No matter how many times someone explains it to you, you will always have questions.
And perhaps, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. It’s a concept that’s so ideal and hard to trust, that perhaps it should be reserved by those who take risks without necessarily understanding what they imply. The Highest of Stakes is a collection of testimonies that the directors have put together in a sort of symphony for our current times, in which slick documentaries are serious enough to make us see the whole picture: there are always two sides to the coin. No pun intended!
In one of the best documentaries I’ve seen about this subject, The Highest of Stakes the basics are there for you to make your own conclusion about the world you’re about to enter. And it doesn’t matter if the terms aren’t clear, or if perhaps you’re not in par with the technology that’s referred, this is pretty simple: in the end, it’s about making money. It’s not fast. It’s not risk-free. But it’s actually unbelievable. We’re talking investing 1000 USD and being a millionaire soon after. And it’s all because of the vision of a guy called Richard Heart.
Heart is a fun guy. One that knows how to throw parties and reply to anyone who dares to heckle in his shows. By the way, shows and appearances that always take place in random places all around the world. Apparently, it’s not that someone’s looking for him. He just sees himself as a delicate piece that needs to respond to nobody. Heart has created a token called HEX, and it’s a potential fortune-maker. You only need to invest. And believe, believe, believe.
Yes, it’s the speech we’ve seen in the past countless times in documentaries and films that show how scams were started and continued until someone was imprisoned, or ran away with all the assets. Luckily, the film is not only a display of that concern, or a series of testimonies by the skeptics. The directors make sure to include the views that are necessary to draw conclusions, and the film is told mainly from the perspective of those who dared to take a step into the unknown and trust a guy whose attire is far from trustworthy. He’s a like a billionaire Willy Wonka with countless Rolex watches and no chocolate factory to sleep in. There’s too much mystery surrounding Heart, and if you feel like you’re lost in regards to his intentions, it’s probably on purpose.
We won’t say if people lost or won. HEX is part of the world of digital economics that took a stumble recently and hasn’t recuperated. The film implies HEX is actually successful in the middle of doubt and lack of trust. We don’t get much information about what makes it special and Heart does great in telling you the basics of entering his world and making him more powerful. Because in the end, it’s not a Ponzi scheme, but every cent you put in a machine, digital or not, makes someone richer. You have to watch this film!
Founder of Screentology. Member of the OFCS. RT Certified Critic
Dog dad.