Directed by Kurtis David Harder — Screenplay by Tesh Guttikonda and Kurtis David Harder.
Kurtis David Harder’s Influencer takes place in Thailand where we meet Madison (played by Emily Tennant), the titular influencer, who is documenting her journey through the country as a way to promote her profile as an influencer. In Thailand, she meets CW (played by Cassandra Naud), a young American woman, who Madison befriends. CW excitedly shows Madison the local hotspots and they hit it off, with Madison trusting CW enough to open up about her own frustrations with her boyfriend, Ryan (played by Rory J. Saber), who was supposed to be there with her. One day, Madison returns to her hotel in Thailand to find that it has been broken into and her passport has been stolen. Madison has to stay for a few additional days, so she decides to hang out with CW more. CW decides to sail them to a remote, deserted island with no cellphone coverage. Here Madison gets back in touch with nature, but she is also about to find out how dangerous it can be to be disconnected from the online life she has built for herself.
I’ve chosen to stop describing the overall premise right there precisely because I think this is the type of film that is best experienced as cold as possible — i.e. with the least amount of knowledge about it beforehand. This is because Kurtis David Harder’s film has a few tricks up its sleeves. While these aren’t entirely original tricks, they are pulled off in a way that I think works for the film’s narrative development and in a way that pulls you in as a viewer. You see, the title sequence doesn’t start until 25-30 minutes into the film, and the film shifts perspectives several times and forces you to see the world from the perspective of a person with very dark ulterior motives.
What is so exciting about this 90-ish minute film is the surprising gradual development, as a certain individual eventually tries to craft a reality on social media to keep up appearances, and we see a large chunk of the film from their perspective. It is entertaining to try to keep up with this, and, once you see the film from a person with mal-intent, the film tries to drum up tension from their attempts to cover their tracks. Although the film isn’t extremely violent, there is a moment with explicit violence on-screen around the 50-minute mark, but the film is mostly about that tension and the sudden shifts in perspective.
Where the film perhaps doesn’t shine as much is in the final third. There is a technological discovery that feels forced and unbelievably clumsy, which kind of annoyed me as it felt like the film was trying to force a crucial discovery so as to lead to the next plot development. I am of the opinion that one of the final confrontations (and the lead-up to it) — a scene underwater — felt a tiny bit underwhelming. I do however think that this constant shifting of perspective that happens a couple of times in that final third of the film is done in a successful way. However, the very ending of the film is slightly predictable, and the people that I saw the film with were left somewhat annoyed or confused by the ending.
Another thing that I’ll add is that the film perhaps doesn’t have as much to say as the premise initially seems to indicate. Sure, it is ultimately a film about how some people’s lives on the internet are so manufactured that they can easily be replicated or manipulated, but it doesn’t go any deeper than that. However, Kurtis David Harder’s Influencer is more than good enough as a creepy and extremely modern thriller with an online element. At its best, it reminded me of David Fincher’s Gone Girl and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and Cassandra Naud’s magnetic performance especially pulls you in. It’s well-shot, well-acted, and well-written — this could be one of the better surprise finds of the year.
7.7 out of 10
– Review Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 