By David Dent
The ‘found footage’ or (in this case) ‘first person narrative’ movie – with its roots in 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust but which really took hold with 1999’s The Blair Witch Project – has been around long enough that, if it was a person, would be old enough to have kids by now. And, to extend the analogy, such an offspring might be The Influencer Project, co-created by Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale, who just happen to be the people behind TBWP.
But between 1999 and 2026 we have also seen the rise of the ‘Influencer’ and ‘content creator’, entities who may have stolen their moves from TBWP’s direct to camera technique, but in so doing have carved themselves out a whole different industry.
These two worlds collide in Mike Nybroe’s debut feature which, honestly, couldn’t get more meta if it tried. TIP focuses on Chiara King, a popular social media star who is, in case you didn’t know, actually a social media personality. But where the real CK, as well as being a successful singer/songwriter and regular podcaster, her fictional self is all about hoovering up the brand, and coining it in via sponsorship deals.
King’s team, headed by manager Alice (Jazmine Summer), has managed to secure Chiara an all expenses luxury trip to Copenhagen, where she moves into a fancy pad and enjoys picking up free goods from brands she endorses; all with the aim of raising the numbers of her followers day by day.
But not everyone is down on her freebie, Insta-friendly lifestyle. An account called ‘King Slayer’, whose only identity clue is his avatar – a guy dressed in a chain mask worn by old Swedish shipyard workers – wants her to stop posting, otherwise he’ll do terrible things to her.
Unfazed, Chiara continues her hedonistic week, but the shadow of ‘King Slayer’ looms large (too large in a frightening nightclub scene), causing the influencer to become paranoid and – understandably – question the honesty of her colleagues. But there’s a balance to be struck: withdraw the promotional tour and lose followers and cash, or soldier on despite the threats? I’ll leave you to guess which option Chiara chooses.
Nybroe’s movie weaves in Hitchcockian (and giallo) stylings as Chiara transforms from confident woman about town to pursued victim, navigates several narrative twists and turns along the way and gets involved in a couple of pretty tense set pieces. I’m guessing you’re not supposed to like the fictional Chiara (because most of the film is stacked against her), although whether this is more a general sideswipe at influencer culture or this particular example remains unclear.
But it’s skilfully put together and extremely well edited, perhaps only breaking the first rule of FF movies – always know who’s doing the filming – towards the end.
