In Anthony Catalano’s thriller Soon, a wannabe internet influencer stumbles upon a gruesome mystery. Pete Valli (Dominick Alesia) is a college dropout and influencer specializing in unboxing videos. In an instant, reality hits Pete in the face, and his father shows up, complaining about the money he wasted on college. Now, Pete is cut off financially. He either needs to boost his views or move back home and get a real job.
As luck would have it, Pete runs into an old crush, Tahlia (Anna Roemer), and the two decide to move in together. In fact, Pete’s old crush, Tahlia, is now his new girlfriend. Months later, as Pete struggles to get views on his video, he receives a mysterious package from a fan. The package contains cryptic clues about a missing girl, along with a rotting apple full of worms to heighten the creepy vibe. Pete and Tahlia are creeped out, but when more and more packages arrive with even creepier clues, Pete decides to investigate further.
As we say at Film Threat over and over again, if you’re going to become a serious filmmaker, you have to make your movie. For writer/director Anthony Catalano, Soon tells an interesting story about fleeting internet fame and wraps it up in a low-budget thriller. I’ll start with my only real complaint: there is a lot of filler story to fill its 90-minute run time. The actual thriller doesn’t get rolling until thirty minutes in, and the overall pace is slow.
“Cryptic clues about a missing girl…”
What works is the story’s premise. The idea is that a YouTube influencer is given clues to a crime, and he records and posts the clues on the internet. It would have been cool to go through all the comments that constantly push him on and off track to find the answers.
I also found the ending interesting. I can’t say anything about it for spoiler’s sake, but it has a twist in a direction that many “big-time” filmmakers wouldn’t choose. Being different helps here.
Soon is clearly a low-budget film. If filmmaker Catalano had more money and time, there would be potential for a better thriller. For a thriller, I was looking for much more intense camera setups to place more pressure on our young protagonist, Pete.
Soon taps into the dark side of internet fame—some mysteries are better left unsolved. Anthony Catalano crafts a slow-burn thriller. While the low-budget limitations show, the film’s clever concept and unexpected ending make it a promising entry into the influencer-gone-wrong genre—because sometimes, chasing views can lead you straight into darkness.
"…Chasing views can lead you straight into darkness."
