Everybody knows that social media can be dangerous. Information available online can easily be used against us, but the World Wide Web can hurt us in other ways. This is just one of the ideas explored in director Sylvia Caminar’s Follow Her. Add to this a debate around permission and consent, and some stellar gender politics, and you have the perfect storm for a seductive thriller.
Written by Dani Barker, Follow Her tells the story of Jess (played by Dani Barker), an aspiring actress, desperate for fame and fortune. Around her auditions she attempts to make a living on ‘live hive’ as ‘J Peep’. Her channel involves Jess answering unusual classified ads online and then secretly filming her encounters. Then after answering an advert for a screenwriting gig, she gets more than she expected. Through this encounter, she meets the charismatic Tom Brady (Luke Cook) to whom there is more than meets the eye. As the job progresses, Jess finds herself in a game of gender politics and power plays.
For the narrative of Follow Her to work, it’s best to go in with little prior knowledge. This is a film that twists and distorts, and never quite travels the expected path. As Jess and Tom work on their script, a meta-commentary begins. This informs their actions and it’s fascinating to see how they work together. There’s a great amount of tension between Tom and Jess, and not all of it is threatening. There’s a frision of sexual tension that passes between the pair, though Jess’ attraction to Tom leadis her to potential danger. Jess initially presents herself as being quite savvy, so it’s interesting to see her start to crumble when faced with a handsome man.
What makes Follow Her even more interesting is that Jess is a complicated character, one that is hard to like. The manner in which Jess is introduced doesn’t ingratiate her to the audience. Whilst played with a hint of humour, the opening montage of her projects points to someone who is awfully self-centred. She appears to view people as commodities, whose value is based on how many followers, likes, or views they can generate. Jess looks at the world through the business eyes of social media and in doing so has lost touch with herself. Placing herself in harm’s way doesn’t immediately elicit sympathy for her. Jess has to earn the audience’s respect and prove that she’s not just some vapid egocentric starlet. It’s a role that requires a lot of time and effort and so who better to play her than the writer that created her. Barker is fantastic in the part and helps make Jess a compelling lead character.
People always praise the good boy and girl canines in films, but here it’s a feline that is worthy of some praise. The beloved pet of Jess, Squeakers, is a beautiful tabby cat and one that knows how to emote. Whether it’s the initial meeting in which the cat is screaming that it’s hungry, or later in the film when it’s clearly wary of something unseen, it’s a great animal performance. The cat might not be as prominent as some dog characters, but its inclusion is a great touch that adds a layer of realism to the piece. When first introduced to Jess, the audience knows little about her, and what they do know doesn’t paint her in the best light. The addition of Squeakers allows Jess to demonstrate a softer side, helping endear her to the audience.
Visually, Follow Her screams to the youth audience. The opening titles are super slick and attention grabbing. As Jess is someone who lives online, chunks of Follow Her include aspects of modern technology. Caminar weaves the use of text, email, live-stream footage, around the more traditional shooting structure to create a style that is more appealing than just text on a tiny screen. The modernity of Jess’ life contrasts with the appearance of the barn location (in which much of the story is set). This building is all exposed wood and decorated with antique pianos. It’s a visual representation of the clash between Jess and Tom and their differing views and opinions. This is a subtle approach that helps reinforce the message. Follow Her clearly has had a lot of thought and attention put into it.
If there were to be a slight downfall of Follow Her it would be the pacing. The film starts super strong and has an excellent middle section, but as it approaches its finale, it fizzles out somewhat. As with much of the rest of the movie, there’s a sudden switch just when you think it’s about to be over. These final scenes don’t quite feel cohesive with the rest and the jar deflates some of the hard-earned tension. The ending does, however, open itself up to analysis. Slightly ambiguous in nature, the climax turns the table on the viewer, prompting them to take a look at themselves and think about how they might approach the situation.
Although exploring gender dynamics and conventions, Follow Her has a strong female voice throughout. Thanks in part to it being both written and directed by women, the film is shot and constructed in a way that appeals to a female audience. For a genre so heavily seen as ‘men only’, it’s refreshing to see a film that purposefully sets out to capture the equally genre-mad audience. A bold and ambitious film, Follow Her constantly subverts expectations and gives the viewer plenty of food for thought. Seductively engrossing and enticingly dark, Follow Her is a thriller made for women by women.
Follow Her
Summary
A thriller for The Hills and Kardashian generation, Follow Her is a thoroughly modern exploration of gender politics and power plays.
Follow Her was reviewed at Arrow Video FrightFest 2022.
