Seven Pictures's & Two Ocean Production's "Friend Request". Directed by Simon Verhoeven, it stars Alycia Debnam-Carey, William Moseley, Connor Paolo, Brit Morgan, Brooke Markham, Sean Marquette, & Liesl Ahlers. Rated 'R', the movie has a running time of 1 hr., 32 min.
The film opens with a professor advising his class that one of the students has committed suicide. Flashback 2 weeks, & the focus is now on Laura (Debnam-Carey), one of the most popular students at her university; she has over 800 'friends' on Facebook. She lives with her 3 best friends: Olivia (Morgan), Isabel (Markham), & Gustavo (Marquette); all 3, like most young people today, post & live much of their lives on social media. Laura & Olivia are in the same psych class. Laura notices a new student Marina (Ahlers) who seems a bit strange & extremely shy. That night, Laura receives a 'friend request' from her. Laura goes to Marina's 'page'; likes the dark, intricate animation that is there; debates whether she should or should not accept; & decides to accept the request—which now gives Marina 1 'friend'. However, Marina soon bombards Laura with strange & bizarre images on FB, & her obsessive behavior rapidly worries Laura. While at her birthday party (to which Marina was not invited), Laura & friends post pictures of the occasion on FB. Confronting Laura the next day in the cafeteria, the 2 girls have a huge fight; Laura pushes Marina, & the hood that Marina always wears comes off, revealing a bald spot caused by burns. Although Marina tries to apologize to Laura on FB, Laura 'unfriends' her. When Marina sees that her 'friend' total is now zero once again, she commits suicide, records it on her webcam which automatically uploads it to FB. The video is then posted on Laura's FB page, & when Laura tries to remove it, she cannot. Act I now transitions to Acts II & III.
This is an above average entry in the horror, thriller genre. The first half of the film, in particular, presents a convincing indictment, in a metaphorical way, of the perils of society's (especially of younger people's) obsession with, & manipulation of, social media. For this first half, the screenplay by Matthew Ballen (full disclosure, Matthew is a cousin of my niece in NC), Philip Koch, & director Verhoeven is a nice balance of social media examination, portions of verisimilitude, and chills & thrills. The second, more guignol-accented half, is less immersed in realism and deals more with the tropes of horror films. My second observation, however, neither negates my admiration for the first nor of my overall opinion. Verhoeven, in his first major American film, has a good sense of rhythm & pacing—necessary genre attributes. The cast is adequate for the film's requirements. "Fear the Walking Dead's" Debnam-Carey is the standout performer; hers is a fully rounded, believable performance. If her character loses some of that believability in the 3rd act, it is because of the script, not the actress. The remaining players all present the requisite attributes of their more static parts. The score by Gary Go & Martin Todsharow is a standout. Its pulsing, driving composition perfectly complements the film's shivers & shudders. Jo Heim's cinematography is atmospheric throughout—avoiding the pitfalls of Zack Snyderism: i.e.: being totally dark & muddy. Production design & set decoration possess the requisite needs of the movie while never rising above the pedestrian.
Rating : 6 /10
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