Watcher is a generic and often frustrating stalker thriller ā but Maika Monroe puts on an excellent performance as tormented lead Julia.
The feature debut of director Chloe Okuno, who helmed one of the shorts that make up the critically acclaimed
V/H/S/94, Watcher is a disappointingly generic but basically serviceable thriller. Itās predictable, frustrating, and often lacks suspense, but Maika Monroe holds things together in the leading role.
Julia (Monroe) has just moved to Bucharest, Romania with her husband (Karl Glusman). Isolated by the language barrier and hearing reports of a serial killer on the loose in the city, she becomes increasingly unsettled by a man watching her from an apartment across the street. Cue the paranoid peering out of windows, the tentative looks over her shoulder, and disbelieving husband acting embarrassed of his āparanoidā wife. This is nothing new, but at least, unlike
The Woman In The Window, the protagonists are sensible enough to actually invest in some curtains.
In the beginning, the man in the window opposite is an imposing figure. Even more so when heās simply a silhouette, lurking, but clearly still looking (thereās those curtains coming in handy again). These are the moments filled with the most suspense ā when Julia looks, and he looks back. We keep expecting to eventually see a face, but the figure is always indistinguishable. When Julia goes outside, and still feels like sheās being followed, the film loses some of this tension.
Thereās an attempt to make these scenes, where she hides around corners and panics at the prospect of her stalker watching more than just her home, tense and suspenseful. Despite Monroeās panicked performance, this just doesnāt happen the majority of the time. Itās because of the lack of momentum. For every slightly tense stalking scene, thereās a much longer one of her simply talking things over with her husband (a conversation which happens often and gets fairly repetitive). Instead of creating a steady build-up of suspense, itās built and then diffused again repeatedly.
As Julia attempts to investigate the man she suspects of being her stalker (Burn Gorman, having a good time) the tension also gets overcome by the frustrating writing. At points the screenplay captures perfectly a woman whoās deathly afraid ā during one scene Juliaās scared to even open the door when it knocks. But then, moments later, sheās following a man she believes may be a stalker or even murderer through dark subways and into dodgy-looking buildings. These actions, while predictable for a film like this, are totally incongruous with a woman who feels unsafe.
Not much time is given to character development, either, with the only thing we know about the leading duo being their jobs. Nothing personal is revealed about them, and they have little in the way of personality. In terms of the latter, the one exception is Juliaās new neighbour Irena (Madalina Anea) who proves to be rather likable.
Unfortunately, the patchy writing culminates in a predictable final act. You wonāt be surprised at what happens, and a half-hearted attempt at a slightly shocking ending turns out to be a disappointing fake-out.
Watcher is a basically enjoyable outing for fans of the paranoid thriller, with good performances but uneven writing. Just donāt go in expecting it to reinvent the wheel.
Watcher screens on 10th June at Sundance London Film Festival.
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