Follow Her (2022) Film Review – Revenge is a Dish Best Served Digitally

Posted on by Jim Cox

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Follow Her is a 2022 American horror thriller, written by Dani Barker and directed by Sylvia Caminer. Aspiring actress/social media influencer Jess responds to a mystifying classified ad to work on a movie script in hopes of seizing the opportunity to further her career. However, she finds herself trapped in her new boss’s twisted revenge fantasy.

The story does an outstanding job of introducing Jess and her personality concisely. Her ignorance when it comes to proper practice when filming a second party solidifies her desire to create content above all else – even common decency. Secretly filming people at their most vulnerable in an effort to garner more popularity knows no bounds, even keeping content that reveals personal information that could be very damaging to their credibility. Additionally, the protagonist has an air of unlikability about her, excellently portrayed by the film’s writer Dani Barker in this lead role. Reinforced through Jess’s interactions with those close to her, their attitudes towards her and her line of work indicate that she has used them in her content against their will before – their tolerance for her lifestyle and attitude beginning to growing thin.

Though seeming somewhat predictable towards the beginning, the film soon evolves as it progresses into its second and third acts. Beginning as a scenario of questionable decisions made by our protagonist such as meeting a stranger alone in a secluded area on the promise of a paying writing job as well as accompanying him to his secluded farmhouse, Follow Her alludes to something darker than the stereotypical abduction archetype. Consequently, spiraling into a scenario fitting of an episode of Black Mirror with an organic twist completely unexpected until it’s thrust upon the audience.

Utilizing its New York backdrop effectively, the film features stylish cinematography throughout. The implementation of sweeping drone shots for a birds-eye view of the varied scenery the state has to offer, along with sleek camera work and excellent framing is a real feast for the eyes throughout. Effective administration of this framing creates a fantastic tool of revelation throughout, further progressing the story’s darker underlying aspects naturally. Consisting of various different camera techniques, this combination of styles elevates Follow Her‘s overall style dramatically.

Along with this impressive level of cinematography persists an intrinsic soundtrack to further the tension, building from low drones into a crescendo that accompanies the film’s twisting revelations admirably. This developing score successfully avoids progressing in vain of jump scare territory, instead increasing the inherent terror of the situation itself to be the object of attention.

Exceeding my expectations, this delightful diversion from the expected will certainly take most audiences by surprise. Along with its sleek visual style and effective sound design, this character study of the modern-day social media content creator certainly has some unique ideas executed with due diligence. Undoubtedly, Follow Her will captivate those desiring something to avert their expectations and deliver something unexpected.

We watched Follow Her as part of the 2022 Fantasopa Film Festival

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