Director: Kim Se-hwi
Starring: Byun Yo-han, Shin Hye-sun, Lee El
Country of Origin: South Korea
Running time: 1hr 43m
A serial snooper picks the wrong target when he tracks an ostentatious social media streamer.
Real estate agent Koo Jung-tae (Byun Yo-han) abuses the powers of his position to surreptitiously sneak into the homes of his clients.
Yet when he decides to trail flashy influencer Han So-ra (Shin Hye-sun) the outwardly respectable realtor embarks on a precarious mission.
Captivated by the allure of the enigmatic So-ra, the sly peeper attempts to break into her apartment.
Jung-tae is floored when the online exhibitionist then turns up at his office and hands over the keycard to her home.
On the 152nd day of creeping around the seemingly benevolent streamer he finds So-Ra’s body covered in blood on her couch.
Instead of informing the police the apartment prowler hastily flees the scene knowing that he will be implicated in the death.
It is only when rival broadcast jockey Holugi (Park Ye-ni) reports So-ra as missing that detective Oh Young-joo (Lee El) takes on the mysterious case.
The blurry picture becomes clear in a phenomenal second act of breathtaking twists and revelations.
Although an exaggerated work of fiction Following portrays the dangers and consequences of obsessive behaviour. There have been several real-life stalking tragedies in South Korea in recent years. It remains a genuine issue in a nation perceived as one of the safest in the world. Director Kim Se–hwi also explores themes of fan worship, self-transformation, and avarice as well as the negative influence of modern technology. The entire screen is filled by So-ra and Holugi’s streaming accounts on occasions with the desperation of both characters to attract comments, subscribers, and donations evident.
There are echoes of the chilling One Hour Photo (2002) in the way the delusionally upbeat Jung-tae delves into the lives of people that pay for his services.
In an early scene we witness a disturbing wall of pilfered everyday items which the estate agent displays like trophies in a secluded warehouse.
Byun Yo-han is perfectly cast as a naive oddball that keeps a horde of ants as pets. He is both credible and sinister as a character that leads a peculiar double life.
The stunning turning point simply wouldn’t work without the spellbinding performance of Shin Hye-sun as the troubled So-ra.
Shin has starred in a host of successful television dramas including the recent See You in My 19th Life and Welcome to Samdal-ri. It was not until Innocence (2020) that the brilliant actress was entrusted with a big screen leading role. In Following we see a completely different side of Shin. She is a compelling and frightening presence as an online show off who employs devious methods for sympathy and monetary gain.
An impressive cast is rounded out by Lee El as a female cop struggling to make her mark in a dismissively macho environment and Park Ye-ni as a brash, obnoxious online force of nature.
Yet the undoubted stand out is Shin in a riveting film which plunges down a foreseeable path until a staggering mid-way shift.
Stephen Kasiewicz 