I Will Follow is a nice movie in that it deals with a relatable situation with likable characters. It's directed competently, and the soundtrack fits. The acting is all professional and at times affecting. It is as well made as many movies with a much bigger budget.
The problem is the story relies on too many cliches. Everyone is beautiful or handsome, for starters. That's not to say beautiful and handsome people don't have problems, but the movie gets that hollow, plastic Hollywood feel despite the attempt to be real and personal. There has to be a romantic love angle, too, as well as the whole sisterhood thing. It feels very formulaic, like one of those books in the rack at the airport with a slick cover written by someone you've never heard of and that looks just like the ones next to it.
Oddly, this contrasts with elements that might have fit an earthier story with earthier characters. For instance, there's casual Black racism against other groups -- a "joke" about finding Mexicans at Home Depot falls flat not just for its latent bigotry but because these too perfect characters -- everyone is impeccably made up and carefully dressed even in casual clothes -- seem more like they're endorsing a product on TV than just regular people with everyday problems. There's enough pretty teeth to be a Pepsodent commercial. These are obviously also rich, connected people, so of course the main character has tasteful and successful gay friends. And the main character has got to be using men, expecting each to be there for her while she's getting some on the side. The movie wants to have its cake and eat it, too.
I get it. To make a splash in Hollywood -- an insular and largely shallow and performative industry out of touch with most of the rest of the world -- you have to get noticed. And ugly poor people never trump good looking Hollywood people "getting real."
So, "I Will Follow" works as an audition for writer/director Ana Duvernay, who obviously used it to good effect to establish her Hollywood career. But in the end, this movie seems to trade flash for substance. The power of the story is robbed by its artificiality. In this, it's more like a porno than a true drama, and like those, it doesn't stand out much from the rest just like it.
The problem is the story relies on too many cliches. Everyone is beautiful or handsome, for starters. That's not to say beautiful and handsome people don't have problems, but the movie gets that hollow, plastic Hollywood feel despite the attempt to be real and personal. There has to be a romantic love angle, too, as well as the whole sisterhood thing. It feels very formulaic, like one of those books in the rack at the airport with a slick cover written by someone you've never heard of and that looks just like the ones next to it.
Oddly, this contrasts with elements that might have fit an earthier story with earthier characters. For instance, there's casual Black racism against other groups -- a "joke" about finding Mexicans at Home Depot falls flat not just for its latent bigotry but because these too perfect characters -- everyone is impeccably made up and carefully dressed even in casual clothes -- seem more like they're endorsing a product on TV than just regular people with everyday problems. There's enough pretty teeth to be a Pepsodent commercial. These are obviously also rich, connected people, so of course the main character has tasteful and successful gay friends. And the main character has got to be using men, expecting each to be there for her while she's getting some on the side. The movie wants to have its cake and eat it, too.
I get it. To make a splash in Hollywood -- an insular and largely shallow and performative industry out of touch with most of the rest of the world -- you have to get noticed. And ugly poor people never trump good looking Hollywood people "getting real."
So, "I Will Follow" works as an audition for writer/director Ana Duvernay, who obviously used it to good effect to establish her Hollywood career. But in the end, this movie seems to trade flash for substance. The power of the story is robbed by its artificiality. In this, it's more like a porno than a true drama, and like those, it doesn't stand out much from the rest just like it.