INFLUENCER is a cannily crafted mystery about popular social media influencer Madison (Emily Tennant), who is having a rather tedious and lonesome trip in exotic Thailand.
Of course, this isn’t what she tells her devoted following on Instagram. No, Madison makes out she is having the time of her life. But behind the fake smiles and tall tales, she reflects on why her boyfriend cancelled his flight at the eleventh hour and left her alone on the other side of the world.
And just when she’s had about enough of Southeast Asia and is ready to jet back home, she meets the plucky and enigmatic CW (Cassandra Naud), who offers to take her to some of the most extraordinary locations — sure to give her Insta followers plenty to get excited about.
Their lives couldn’t be any more different. CW is a free spirit who floats from one place to another, without making any major plans. Madison, on the other hand, seems unhappy, even trapped, in her soulless existence, clamouring for likes on social media.
The pair hit it off immediately and after a few days enjoying each other’s company, Madison finally feels alive and happy again. She has made a friend, and after visiting some amazing sights, CW still has one surprise location left to show her, which sets us up the for a gripping tale with twists and turns aplenty.
New to Shudder, Influencer was a film that caught me completely off guard. It is very polished and comes complete with a real hipster soundtrack.
There were also moments where I cringed and thought it was looking to woeful nineties psychological thrillers such as The Hand That Rocked The Cradle for influence, but director Kurtis David Harder’s film is a potent and compelling thriller with strong performances from its two leading ladies. It wasn’t at all what I expected!
While there’s an obvious message about social media, Influencer proves way too much fun, and keeps you guessing right up until the end, to consider getting caught up in any languorous metaphors.
I highly recommend this one.
(4/5)
