Them That Follow
THEM THAT FOLLOW © 2018 12300 Productions, LLC
Them That Follow, directed by Dan Madison Savage and Britt Poulton, is a casual and conventional drama that has small moments of gothic horror on the surface, but deep down there is a swirling underbelly of conversation on the grief of faith and a closeted, rural community cowering with paranoia.
The issue is that this very underbelly of thematic weight and layers takes so long to come to fruition and, instead, Them That Follow struggles to inject a prowess of genre. Labelled as a Horror but never overly conscious of that tone, the film grapples with having an identity crisis of sorts. In the meantime, the viewer is slowly following this rural religious story with no real insight into what they are witnessing and, ultimately, the tolerance begins to wain.
Granted, this aspect of the film contextually could work wonders in the form of enigmatic mystery that slowly reveals its true self, horror and all. Such an element is far too nuanced and high brow for the calibre Them That Follow is aiming for, which in turn ends up being an incredibly flat as well as simplistic feature. Notable highs in the drama and horror department but equally as pitiful lows in terms of engagement and interest.
Undoubtedly, when it turns up the heat with scares, while never powerful, they do send a few shivers down the viewer's spine but there is never enough of this throughout to care about what the audience is watching or have a decent sense of entertainment value. What the film does have, however, is a decent dramatic edge. There are a few arcs here with twists and turns that keep this alive but the film never wants to explore these dynamics with any investment or stakes.
Walton Goggins as Lemuel adds a significant screen presence and is captivating as ever but his performance is underwhelming and far too restraint, courtesy of the screenplay from writer-directors Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage rather than the actor’s skill. Alice Englert as Mara has the most screentime and resulting depth. It's an arc that feels entirely out of place with what Them That Follow wants to evoke but nevertheless adds a profound weight to proceedings, with Mara showcasing excellent range and emotional conviction.
Kaitlyn Dever pops up here with a comatose and dull performance, as Dilly, that is lifeless and Academy Award winner Olivia Colman is thrown to the sidelines, thoroughly wasted as a possible integral component to the film’s main arc. Elements that cements this feature as one with massively wasted opportunity to craft something with edge and reason made it all the more disappointing that at the film‘s fingertips it has every opportunity to succeeds.
Them That Follow is released November 22nd, 2019
