Follow Her

There's quite a clever line in 'Follow Her' where the lead female character says something to the effect of, "the man can't just turn out to the killer, we've seen that in a thousand movies before." And it made me take pause, because the movie was seemingly being self-aware. But what it was really doing was making us realise everything can't be as straight forward as it would appear. So instead of just going along for the ride and thinking you know exactly how this will all pan out, you are suddenly aware of the potential for plot twists and turns, and you become a lot more invested in the movie for that reason.

And from there out the film does its best to surprise us and catch us out. The film certainly doesn't fail from lack of trying. It throws as much at the wall as it can and just enough sticks to keep it afloat. The only thing that lets it down is that it never quite delivers that knock out blow that leaves your jaw on the floor. Still, if you're in the mood for a switch-off-brain thriller then you could do much worse than 'Follow Her'. 6/10.

This was a movie that I got to see at Nightmares Film Festival. All I knew coming in was that this was the Midwest premiere and this fell in the thriller's category. I'd say having now seen this, it is horror adjunct or close enough for me to include in my 2022 horror watches.

Synopsis: an aspiring actress responds to a mysterious classified ad and finds herself trapped in her new boss's twisted revenge fantasy.

For this movie, we are following Jess Peters (Dani Barker). She works for a cam-site. From what I can see, she doesn't get nude or anything like that. It is more that she vlogs things that she does. She is hovering outside of the top 10 for this site as well. She is also good friends with #1, who is Kai (Eliana Jones). Her father isn't as thrilled about this. He is a lawyer, Richard (Mark Moses). Her brother is as well.

Now an interesting thing happens here when she answered a classified ad for a toothpaste commercial. It turns into a fetish video where a man tickles her. He doesn't know he is being recorded. This video turns out to be a good one for her as it pushes her into the top 10. The problem is that the program to hide his face failed and the viewers can see it. Jess decides to pretend like she didn't realize and leave it up.

Jess then answers another ad that is looking for someone to help them finish writing a screenplay. He wants a woman's perspective as well. This person turns out to be Tom Brady (Luke Cook). He is from Australian and seems charming. This is to the point where he invites Jess to his place to get what he's written for the screenplay. There is attraction here, but things get weird. Jess tries to leave. She also must get the hidden cam she set up before she can. This cam is hidden in a pin and she put it on the mantel earlier in the night. Tom isn't who he seems though and this takes quite a dark turn with the truth of what is happening.

That is where I'm going to leave my recap as well as introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is something that I realized about this year's Nightmares Film Festival. Vloggers and social media play a big part into the movies shown. It makes sense since most of these were made during the pandemic and this phenomenon is even more important in today's world. What they do here adds another layer that Jess has issues with boundaries in filming people without their knowledge. She doesn't like it when it is done to her so we are seeing hypocrisy. There is also a moral dilemma of knowing something that makes you more popular and doing the right thing.

With that out of the way, most of this is a two person show of Jess and Tom. I want to start with her as our victim. I've already laid out that she has issues with boundaries when it comes to filming others without permission. She doesn't see anything wrong with that when it benefits her. I don't hate her though. She seems to be closer to my age so she isn't as obnoxious. I can appreciate that. Another commentary I see with her is ignoring 'red flags'. She knows that going back to Tom's place isn't a good idea. They just met. The money is a driving factor and that is real. I even like that she uses her sexuality as a weapon. I'm glad that it isn't looked down on here. She's using what she can. That's not to say something later in this makes her look bad for using what she must to survive.

Where I want to go then next will be Tom. He is a 'Ted Bundy' like guy in that he's good looking and charming. That lures Jess back. I wouldn't necessarily say he's the 'guy next door', but that is the cliche this is rolling with. What is interesting with him is the reveal of things as this goes on. All I'm going say is that we get some 'dark web' type stuff which I love and find terrifying.

Next should be the acting. I thought it was good across the board. I like Barker and Cook. How they play off each other is great. I like the push and pull where one will have the upper hand then the other. They have good on-screen chemistry which makes this work. Jones, Moses and the rest the cast are also solid to push them where they need to end up as well. I had no issues here with the acting.

Lastly should be the filmmaking aspects. I thought that the cinematography was good. We deal a bit with 'found footage' since we will go to cameras that are hidden or on someone. Jess has a pin as well as in glasses that have one. The house that Tom invites her back does as well. This adds a sense of realism that I enjoyed. There aren't a lot in the way of effects, but it also doesn't need them. The soundtrack was solid fine. It didn't necessarily stand out or take me away from what I was seeing.

In conclusion, this is a solid movie for what they're conveying. It wouldn't work if the performances from Barker and Cook weren't good. I think they play well off each other. The story gives an interesting look at social media, recording and how far people will go to be famous. It also a relevant look at ignoring red flags. This is a well-made to go along with that. Not everyone will consider this horror, but I think it is close enough to include here. I would also recommend giving this at least a viewing.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

It's hard to find a genuinely good indie film sometimes, but Follow Her was a great time. Incredibly well-acted by both leads, and is perfectly tailored for the millennials and gen zs.

Takes some crazy twists and the ending is nuts.

Makes some good points about personal privacy in the Information Age where everyone is filmed at all times and people live their lives for the likes.

Creepy and suspenseful and at times incredibly funny.

Honestly I would've paid to see this in theatres it was way higher in quality than typical indie films. The ending was ambiguous which is my favourite kind of ending. WATCH IT.

A modern thriller that takes you into the world of social media influencers. The double lives influencers live, that leads them into a world where nothing is what it seems. The logo of the social media platform "Live Hive" in the film is better than the social platforms we currently use. The film draws you into the characters world. It has a Hitchcockian vibe that keeps you engaged and keeps you guessing. The characters in this movie are intriguing because they are morally corrupt. This movie makes you question how far is to far when your whole existence is centered around likes and shares. Good Friday night movie.

I dislike social media and the hellscape we've created in it's wake... but this movie was so boring and poorly acted. The only redeeming character was the cat. The movie does little to expand on the vapid people (the royal) we've become in the quest for stardom and likes. There are many Black Mirror episodes that masterfully comment on many aspects of what this movie aims for but misses. It's supposed to be meta within meta but it's just insipid. The dialog and plot points are so dull, and made even worse by all of the 'recaps' within the movie. Did i mention i liked the cat? Poor thing, i hope it can still find work after being associated with this movie...