I'm a pretty big internet user, but I'm usually at a loss whenever newspapers and magazines feature people who are famous on YouTube or Vine – 20m or 30m followers, pulling down hundreds of thousands of dollars, but I've never heard of them. More importantly I've never heard of the many millions of people who are trying to do this – tweeting, vlogging, and god knows what else to their handful of followers, acting bigger and more interesting than they are. Follow Me captures these people really well by convincingly showing the insincere mugging for the camera, but yet lots of time focused on being a "content creator" – which is a terrible phrase but I guess it is politer than calling someone a c**t.
The short is pretty funny as it lets its main character play out in his desperation and disconnection from the real world. The writing hits a lot on the head – the repackaging of material, the way that internet stuff doesn't play into real life very well, and that followers mean nothing in real life either. The background of the short equally convinces – the shelves behind Darren have bobble- heads, toys, and other pointless clutter which is as childish as it is perfectly arranged. Sasso plays this character really well, but he is more than matched by Justina Machado who brings a lot of energy and is more than just a long-suffering wife cliché.
It doesn't really break new ground in terms of subject matter, but it is well structured, funny, and professionally delivered by all.
