Aahana Swrup
‘Influencer’ centers around the anti-hero protagonist CW, a scheming master manipulator whose hunting grounds are in the best tourist hotspots of Bangkok. The criminal has a keen eye out for solo travelers, particularly influencers. Therefore, Madison, a content creator who is on a week-long trip alone, thanks to her boyfriend’s flaky behavior, becomes the ideal target. After a chance encounter that is actually perfectly tailored in her favor, CW manages to earn the influencer’s friendship. From there, a few sightseeing tours are all it takes for Madison to put her trust in her new friend when her passport mysteriously gets stolen. As a result, she’s happy to follow the other woman to a secluded villa in her jungle and an even more secluded island in the middle of nowhere. Inevitably, horror strikes when Madison wakes the next morning to find she has been abandoned on the island without any resources to support her survival. Thus, as the plot progresses, CW’s cruel motives become a key cornerstone of her characterization. SPOILERS AHEAD!
CW Maroons Madison and Then Steals Her Life
Although CW’s motive throughout the narrative remains nuanced and layered, at least some part of her actions seems to be driven by greed and envy. When she and Madison first meet, the other woman is comfortably living in luxurious hotels and even seems to have a private villa to her name. Furthermore, it seems like, unlike the influencer, for whom the vacation is a momentary break at best and a job at worst, CW enjoys a more constant, free-living experience in the foreign city. All of this suggests some level of lucrative income. Once the character’s sinister side emerges, some truths about how she funds this lifestyle become apparent. After she abandons Madison, the other traveler has free access to all of her belongings, including her devices and official documents. As a result, she’s able to use her victim’s money to pay for her own luxuries, including the lavish villa.
The fact that the narrative implies that CW has run this exact scam with other travelers before and her eagerness to find a new target soon after suggest there’s a cyclic nature to his process of dishonest money-making. Therefore, it’s likely that the kidnapper is, in part, motivated to harm influencers and subsequently Madison, because she covets their easy wealth. Additionally, on the matter of jealousy, CW’s decision to overtake Madison’s social media also shines some light on her characterization. Once the influencer has been abandoned on the island, the kidnapper goes the extra mile to create fake content for her page. While this was partially done to evade any suspicions from Madison’s friends, family, or fans, CW’s decision to dress up and play the part herself speaks to the existence of some underlying yearning for the same lifestyle.
CW’s Personal Vendetta Against Influencers Might Be Explored Further in the Sequel
Despite being at the center of the narrative, CW’s character remains shrouded in a fair amount of mystery. Her story in the film begins with Madison, and the viewers are made privy to almost no prior information about her. As a result, no real conclusive insight is provided into her motivations. It’s clear that CW has a particular feud with influencers, deeming them to be forgettable, self-obsessed, and even somewhat ditzy. Throughout the tale, we see her physically incapacitate and even kill people on numerous occasions. Even so, her preferred method of getting rid of her victims is to strand them on an island, knowing they wouldn’t be able to survive on their own.
As a result, it seems like CW holds some personal vendetta against influencers, almost considering herself to be superior to them in one or more ways. She’s so sure of their incompetence, born of their privilege, that she never even considers that one of them might be able to survive out in the wild without any outside help. While it is entirely possible for this level of hatred to stem from personal reasons like jealousy, insecurity, and more, it’s also likely that there’s a more personal reason behind it. However, ‘Influencer’ leaves this nebulous backstory vague and unclear. However, there’s a strong possibility that the sequel to this film, ‘Influencers,’ might delve deeper into the storyline. In the sequel, CW is expected to go up against more and ruin the lives of more influencers while a more personal storyline develops in the background. Therefore, a clearer insight into the character’s motive behind her crimes against Madison and her other victims might become clearer in the future.
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