No job defines the modern era more than that of the influencer, the nebulous vocation where individuals post pictures of themselves on social media while hawking products or engaging in other questionable means of monetization.

We all hate them, so you might expect a movie where an influencer is tormented and punished to be satisfying.

But it turns out “Influencer” is a total crapfest.

The plot meanders so much it’s hard for me to recall it a day after seeing the film. Travel influencer Madison is staying in Thailand, where she meets CW, an attractive loner who stands out because of a substantial birthmark on her cheek. (The actress actually has one, and it figures in the plot.) Things soon go awry.

“Influencer” makes clear from the get-go that Madison is a vacuous twit. There’s a funny moment in the intro, where her narration talks about taking risks and exploring cultures and yet she’s shown eating a hamburger while staying at an expensive hotel with all the comforts.

The story shifts its point of view to different characters. You spend a lot of time following the villain’s arc, which is interesting, though in some sense you’re rooting against them.

The dialogue is not subtle, nor is the acting. There are lots obvious  knowing glances, and fallen gazes.

The soundtrack was also unsubtle. You know how there’s this music that screams, “This is tense! This is scary!“? There was a lot of that.

A problem I’ve noticed with a lot of movies is they show someone reading a text message on their phone, and while that message might be readable on a giant theater screen, it’s minuscule on a laptop. Such was the case here.

The  movie did make me want to visit Thailand (though the smog looks brutal in Bangkok).

Something interesting could’ve been done with this premise, but this wasn’t it.

A sequel was made, which I will never watch.

Best line: you’ll slowly fade into obscurity… like all the other girls.