Influencer Movie Review by Josh Davis
May 24, 2023 9:36 am |
It’s hard to review a movie like “Influencer” without giving too much away.
Madison (Emily Tennant, “Riverdale”) is an Instagram famous woman whose life mostly consists of traveling, sponsoring beauty products, and taking pictures and videos that make the lives of others seem dull and empty by comparison. She isn’t vapid, but she certainly seem a little bored and unfulfilled.
When the movie opens, she’s been stood up on a trip to Thailand by her boyfriend, Ryan (Rory J. Saper, “Summerland”). Every now and then she puts her phone in selfie mode, smiles and chirps about how awesome everything is, snaps a beautiful locale, and then grimaces as she puts her phone away.
One night at a hotel bar, Madison meets CW (Cassandra Naud, “See”), another young American woman overseas. CW saves her from being hit on by an older, slightly inebriated British man, and the pair strikes up an unlikely friendship.
Seeing Madison upset at being all alone, CW decides to take her to several off-the-beaten-path places and give her a more authentic experience in Thailand.
The first 25 minutes of “Influencer” feels like a fairly predictable setup for a thriller, where one of the leads is not exactly what they seem. There’s plenty of narrative foreshadowing, musical cues, and directorial choices that point to something much more ominous.
Director and co-writer Kurtis David Harder reunites here with his “Summerland” cowriter Tesh Guttikonda, and the pair comes up with a pretty clever swerve. What’s most interesting is that the story goes exactly where you think it will, but then the movie itself makes a sharp left turn.
It’s notable that the script deals with social media without being too heavy handed or judgmental, and — maybe most refreshing — the villain doesn’t have overly contrived or one-dimensional motives. This isn’t a social deconstruction of how social media is ruining modern society. But, rather, it uses what we all know about the medium as framework for a really solid contemporary thriller.
Naud is a revelation and the camera absolutely loves her — which is ironic given her role in the narrative. She has incredible range as an actor here, and juggles a wide range of emotion without breaking a sweat.
Tennant is just as convincing and really digs into the role of an influencer without coming off as shrill or superficial. She’s a modern woman doing a modern job and — like many jobs — sometimes that feels dull or difficult or uninspiring.
The other big costars are the lush, gorgeous backgrounds of Thailand, and cinematographer David Schuurman. He and Harder make nearly every frame downright framable.
It also feels like the filmmakers have really studied and understand what makes a good mystery: Set up some intrigue. Swerve but don’t drive off the road. Don’t overstay your welcome. Deliver a satisfying ending. Don’t over-explain it. Leave a few mysteries for the audience to mull over.
At just 92 minutes, “Influencer” is a tight, tense, contemporary thriller that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but still delivers a solid entry into the genre.
Link to trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=max4YbL3idk
PCL Rating: High Taste It
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH
Tags: film review, Influencer 2022, Influencer movie, Kurtis David Harder, movie review, pop culture leftovers, Tesh Guttikonda
Categorised in: Movie Reviews
This post was written by Leftover Brian
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