Follow (2025) Is Not Sexy Enough to Withstand the Illogical Plot

Gonzalo Tobal’s Follow (2025), also known by its native language film title, Juegos de Seducción, presents a premise that initially intrigues with its potential. However, this potential is marred by an illogical character flaw. The film attempts to compensate for this by promoting its ‘sexy and steamy’ elements, a strategy that has worked for 365 Days and 50 Shades of Grey, despite their lack of common sense.

In Follow, which can be watched on Prime Video, the leading man is Sebastián (Diego Boneta, 2022’s Father of the Bride; At Midnight), a charming and handsome con artist who earns his living by seducing women and stealing their money, with his best friend, Maclo (Alejandro Speitzer, Dark Desire), supporting him. But then, he meets cute brunette Carolina (Martha Higareda, Into the Dark), which exposes him to a high-stakes con, putting him in great danger.

The premise, which has all the hallmarks of being a sexually intense thriller, reminded me somewhat of Sawyer in LOST, who has his way with the women he cons, but then ultimately, finds feelings for “the one.” The problem is, LOST did it better.

This is where I struggle to decide: is the problem that the film is not sexy enough, or is it that the plot does not work? I err on the side of “not sexy enough,” mainly because if it were, I wouldn’t care much for the plot. Follow predictably shows how great Sebastián is with women, and of course, the great sex he has after. However, it’s rarely an erotic thriller that sells itself as that that will form a female fan base. The tension is too far apart. I believe the director wanted his audience to be fully invested in the story – Sebastián is hardly the next Massimo Torricelli – and this is where the mistake lies.

The film reminded me of Netflix’s Obsession, where Richard Armitage’s character had far too much blood flowing through his penis that he lost all sense and direction and destroyed the rich family foundations he had spent his entire life building after meeting his son’s girlfriend. It did not make sense, mainly because his wife, also beautiful, was still sleeping with him, and not in an obligatory marital sense – she genuinely wanted a sex life with him. The proposed logic here was that the character decided, years later, that he no longer had a brain. The story did not suggest that his habits were easily dismantled by beauty. The personal factors did not add up to the story’s formula.

And I feel that’s the problem with Follow. Sure, Carolina is beautiful and seemingly gives off the “I can fix you” vibe that entices Sebastián, but the film also proposes how, in a sense, he’s a criminal fuckboy that cares little for relationships and believes them all to be transactional. But suddenly, his next crime does not center on using women; it centers on securing a life for Carolina by playing a con job on her abusive, wealthy husband.

This is a film that unfortunately falls short due to the writing, which fails to grasp the level of logic required for the plot. The reach is too far apart, based on the conditions presented by the main character. For a character like Sebastián, who is festered with narcissistic traits, and a willingness to see everyone as disposable, apart from his adored younger sister, to suddenly give up his criminal principles for a woman, would require conditions brought into the story that justifies the personality change – yet, in Follow, he prefers to risk everything with a disillusioned wife with a daughter – based on from I can see – purely because she’s beautiful.

Cast your thoughts to Daniel Craig’s James Bond and the number of films it took the spy to finally take a woman seriously in Casino Royale, which had a profound impact and shaped his character (to a more narcissistic level) for the sequels. Sebastián’s character development is rushed and flawed, which is fine if you are leaning towards 365 Days, but it’s nowhere close to that.

There’s no doubt Follow is entertaining, but it’s a short rollercoaster ride – even the ending makes Sebastián look ludicrously dumb and childish. It’s not worth the investment and falls short of what the promotional material suggests.