NZIFF Film Review: "Watcher" (2022).

"Evil wants to be seen" in Watcher. This psychological thriller film written and directed by Chloe Okuno, in her theatrical feature film directorial debut. As a serial killer stalks the city, Julia – a young actress who just moved to town with her boyfriend – notices a mysterious stranger watching her from across the street in this terrifying thriller.

By early March 2021, Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman and Burn Gorman were cast in a psychological thriller written and to be directed by Okuno. The original script by Zack Ford was featured on Hollywood's 2016 Black List, an annual list of unproduced most-liked spec scripts. Ford wrote the script under a pseudonym Carl Young. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in mid April. Filming took place in Bucharest, Romania.

The film stars Monroe, Glusman and Gorman. Monroe, a soulful-eyed ingenue with a complex emotional repertoire, keeps the movie interesting even after utter predictability sets in. The film would sag without Monroe, carrying her first movie since It Follows and making credible connections with each co-star.

Isn't going to win any prizes for originality, but the new teen thriller understands its genre quite well, providing a solid film with some tense, creepy moments delivered in a straightforward manner. When it comes to recalling the best of Hitchcock's important film lessons, here is a decent movie that at least remembers the buildup is just as important as the jolt. In addition to borrowing the idea behind Rear Window, the film pays homage to Hitchcock in its sense of pacing, as well, in its use of the Hitchcock's signature slow build. As a thriller, this is mechanical and predictable - barely one-step away from cookie-cutter formulaic - and yet the film actually works up a decent amount of genuine feeling, thanks to the cast of characters. Smartly directed thriller with a witty script, a great performance from Monroe and some hugely enjoyable suspense scenes. Take an Alfred Hitchcock classic, remix it for generation youtube and you've got the film, a smart and involving thriller about the perils of voyeurism. The film goes through the Hitchcockian motions with great skill and good humour - but among the many pleasures it has to offer its viewers, there are few real surprises. Borrowing a page or two from of the Hitchcock classic Rear Window (1954), this riveting psychological thriller for the modern age delivers as compelling a variation on the helpless voyeur theme as one might hope to find. Suitably giddy with its horror-movie platitudes aimed at mocking the facade of European hysteria, this thriller thrives with the right amount of scrappy charm and intrigue. The film have indeed ripped off Hitchcock to some extent, but it's also quite original, and some of the visuals are breathtaking. Crisp performances, a creepy bad guy, absorbing plot twists, capable direction, and a script that has some telling points to make about the way we saturate ourselves with media make this thriller.

Simon says Watcher receives:

Also, see my NZIFF review for Decision to Leave (헤어질 결심).