Influencer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Influencer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 20, 2025

Screenwriters Tesh Guttikonda and Kurtis Harder (who also directs) wade into the murky waters of social media domination in “Influencer.” They’re not making a horror movie with the subculture’s frightening ways, but a slow-burn thriller, clearly influenced by author Patricia Highsmith and her novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” looking to replicate some of the same character tensions. The story follows the dangerous days of a young woman who’s tired of culture invaders, looking to mess up many lives as she executes a special plan of torment for her victims and their narcissistic ways. “Influencer” captures a unique intensity and level of psychological corruption in its first half, only to lessen suspense as the tale becomes something of a detective story as it nears its conclusion. It’s not consistent, but it mostly works, giving viewers a decent ride of eeriness and mental illness on both sides of the criminal situation. The writing also pokes at the business of social media, challenging a few points of power as it gradually shapes an examination of doom.

Madison (Emily Tennant) is an American in Thailand, living a posh life as a social media influencer. She’s enduring hard times with her boyfriend, Ryan (Rory J. Saper), who elected to head elsewhere instead of enjoying a vacation alongside his love, leaving her alone to conduct the business of taking selfies and selling products to her audience. Residing in a tourist bubble, Madison recognizes the stagnancy of her life, and she soon meets CW (Cassandra Naud), a local who’s happy to help the visitor see the real Thailand. Pulling Madison out of her resort life and into the wild, CW takes her new pal to city spots and secret places, giving her access to a different side of the world while learning more about her. Madison is delighted with the friendship, happily accepting CW’s offer to travel to an island for a fun day on the beach, embracing true solitude with no technology and other tourists. The mood darkens during a fireside chat, where CW details her plan to abandon Madison, leaving her alone on the island to die slowly.

It takes 26 minutes before “Influencer” reaches its main title sequence. The material basically utilizes the saga of Madison and her loneliness as a prologue, introducing a character who’s used to being the center of the world, maintaining a popular social media presence that allows her to travel everywhere, enjoy fashion, and dine on fine foods. She’s a seasoned professional when it comes to selling herself, and she uses her days to offer junk to her fans, mixing tourism coverage with commercials for beauty products. Madison is in the middle of the good life, but cracks are beginning to form on her plastic experience, including estrangement from Ryan, who’s something of a social media guru, but he’s elected to do his own thing while his girlfriend travels to Thailand alone. “Influencer” initially follows the sullen young woman as she tries to find the joy in complete paradise, handed all the privileges possible to create content, but her heart just isn’t in the work anymore, leaving her exposed to outside influence.

CW arrives to befriend Madison, helping her ditch the interest of a drunk older man at a bar eager to chat up the single woman. CW is unusual, with a large facial birthmark and determination to avoid any cameras, preferring to support Madison as the pair embark on their own journey through Thailand. “Influencer” has the advantage of outstanding locations, which Harder covers through plenty of drone footage and celebratory shots of nature’s splendor. The script eventually springs a trap on Madison, who returns to her hotel room, only to find it ransacked, with her passport missing. This crime only strengthens trust between the ladies, as CW provides a place to stay in her own house, and she offers the Instagram darling a chance to really experience the world with a trip to an island, giving “Influencer” a tasty set-up for danger as something isn’t right about the arrangement, and Madison doesn’t care to notice the darkening situation.

Again, “Influencer” packs most of its punch in its first 26 minutes, generating tension around CW, who isn’t great at hiding her violent intentions for Madison. After the main title sequence, the story jumps ahead three weeks, transforming into an examination of deception as CW reenters her world, armed with an understanding of technology and practice when it comes to pulling off a crime, setting her up for additional horrors involving conceited travelers and their use of Thailand as a backdrop for capitalistic and egotistical pursuits.

Influencer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Influencer" provides a reasonably deep view of the locations, finding exteriors capturing the open world concept of the feature as the characters enjoy travel and study nature. Interiors around vacation spots also retain dimension. Detail is strong with facial surfaces, exploring the characters and their states of distress. Costuming is fibrous. Colors are compelling, exploring a lot of greenery, which maintains stability. Clothing choices carry sharp primaries, along with street lighting and decorative additions. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is acceptable, handling most shadowy encounters and night activity. Compression runs into occasional complications, with banding issues periodic, joined by a few flashes of posterization.

Influencer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix leans heavily into soundtrack selections, which carry heavier low-end beats and sharp vocals. Scoring also supports with authority, offering clear instrumentation and a circular presence. Dialogue exchanges are sharp, securing performance choices and accents. Atmospherics maintain elements of nature and the bustle of city movement, also examining room tone. Sound effects are distinct.

Influencer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (18 pages) contains an essay by Molly Henery.

• Commentary #1 features director Kurtis Harder and cinematographer David Schurrman.

• Commentary #2 features director Kurtis Harder and actresses Emily Tennant and Cassandra Naud.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (7:27, HD) offer a little more time with Madison and CW as they explore the area, and additional moments of CW working to cover her tracks while being directly confronted.

• Proof of Concept Footage (2:41, HD) is a 2019 Thailand travel video from Kurtis Harder and Tesh Guttikonda.

• Behind the Scenes (60:06, HD) is an extensive understanding of the production process on "Influencer," following the cast and crew as they gradually work toward shooting days, dealing with all sorts of preparation.

• And a Teaser Trailer (:19, HD) and Trailer (1:51, HD) are included.

Influencer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's something mighty interesting in the study of content creators and their predatory ways, creating digital noise as they invade corners of the world. And there's more to be said about the dangerous ways of jealousy when it comes to standards of beauty, generating tension between CW and her targets. Sadly, "Influencer" backs away from condemnation, and villainy isn't given much chance to grow (acting isn't especially strong as well). The writing changes to an investigative tone in its second act, putting CW on high alert as someone emerges to expose her criminal ways. "Influencer" becomes conventional, buttoned with an ending that teeters on the edge of ridiculous, allowing most of the writing potential to deflate as Harder and Guttikonda can't find their way out of a maze of motivations.