Pretty much everyone wants to be liked, right? But what parts of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice in order to make ourselves more likable? Figuring that out can be a journey that takes a lifetime. And for many, learning how to give up that hunger for approval is one of the best perqs of aging.
In this age of social media, being “liked” has taken on a more concrete meaning: random strangers, perhaps thousands or millions of them, clicking on a heart or a thumbs-up under something we posted on the Internet. And we know from reading gut-wrenching news stories about teen suicides prompted by online ostracism how deeply that type of approval can be intertwined with self-esteem, especially for the generations weaned on electronic devices.
Jess Peters (Dani Barker), the female lead of Follow Her, a new independent feature film shot largely in the Hudson Valley, is one of those Millennials whose sense of worth depends on how many people watch and like her YouTube videos. Her specialty is setting up assignations for a little consensual kinkiness on Craigslist, secretly filming and livestreaming the encounters under the handle J-Peeps. The provocative footage quickly finds a growing audience.
Then Jess arranges a meeting with a man named Tom (Luke Cook) who has been advertising for a woman to help him come up with an ending for his screenplay. She’s intrigued by the promise of an easy paycheck, and even more when the guy turns out to be surprisingly handsome and charming in person. You can see where this is going, right? Follow Her is a psychological horror movie, so we can be sure that Jess will soon be challenged to stay alive long enough to contemplate a distant future of no longer caring about public approval.
It may or may not be a spoiler to note that Barker, who is the movie’s screenwriter as well as its star, and director Sylvia Caminer are hoping to be able to shoot a sequel eventually. But executive producer Chris Gaunt, who also has a small acting role in Follow Her, teases a plot twist: “Who’s really the protagonist or antagonist in this film?” he asks. “There’s absolutely some dark humor in it, rather than straight-up horror – subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor.” Some wry social commentary on our device-dependent times as well, we presume.
In order for that contemplated sequel ever to happen, the filmmakers first need to put the finishing touches on Follow Her – final edit, special effects and coloring, composition and licensing of the musical score – and settle on a mode of distribution. They’ve got a WeFunder page up to raise the remaining funds at https://wefunder.com/followher. The crowdfunding goal is $50,000, but you can become an investor for as little as $100. Meanwhile, postproduction continues, and according to Gaunt, “It should be completely done by January. We’re looking for a spring or summer 2021 release.”
Location shooting for the movie came in just under the wire, pandemicwise. “The Follow Her wrap party was the week before they shut New York City down,” says Gaunt, who lives in Queensbury in Warren County. “It was filmed entirely in New York State.”
In fact, the big climactic set piece of the narrative, in which Jess and Tom play their cat-and-mouse game in an isolated cabin far from aid, was shot in Saugerties, at the Barn on the Pond and an adjacent patch of woods. The iconic profile of Overlook Mountain is clearly identifiable in promotional stills of some exterior scenes. “We were so excited to get the barn, because it just fit the script perfectly,” Gaunt enthuses. “We shot there for a couple of weeks in late March, early April of 2019 – mostly in the interior of the barn, which we made look really dark and creepy.”
The producer notes that a significant chunk of the film’s under-a-million-dollar budget was spent on local ancillary services. These included putting up cast and crew at the Best Western Plus in Kingston and several AirBnBs in Woodstock and Saugerties, on-site catering by Stone Pony Delicatessen & Catering in Saugerties, RV and prop rentals and purchases of supplies. It’s the sort of injection of money into the local economy that makes mid-Hudsonites cheer the burgeoning interest in our region as an excellent place to make movies.
Gaunt has nothing but praise for director Caminer – a two-time Emmy-winner whom he calls “one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen in my life” – and her team of “top-grade talent.” The role of Jess’ father is played by a 40-year acting veteran, Mark Moses (Mad Men, Desperate Housewives, Platoon). The director of photography, Luke Geissbuhler, has both Borat movies and Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 under his belt. Alexander Arntzen has been attached to compose the score.
How do you distribute a new film if cinemas are still only partially open, come springtime? Gaunt says that the producers are hoping for theatrical release, and perhaps even some festival-circuit exposure, but have a Plan B if going straight to cable, pay-per-view or streaming services turns out to be the best option. They’re eying Blumhouse Productions, which specializes in indie thrillers, as the perfect fit for a distributor. Stay tuned for updates, horror fans, as the filmmakers put the final spit-and-polish on this feature.
To view a teaser trailer for Follow Her, visit https://vimeo.com/447642655/32952b2e66.
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