It can sometimes be hard to tell when art is deliberately commenting on a major issue in our society, or when that commentary might just be coincidental, especially when it comes to movies within the thriller and horror genres. Take Watcher, for example, which is a thriller about a young woman in Bucharest who starts to think that she is being watched by a potentially deadly stranger. On the surface, what you have here is a standard, and solid, thriller. Yet it also feels like a film about the feeling that women often experience many times in a single day, especially when they try to explain to others who may dismiss their worries as paranoia.
Maika Monroe is the lead here, playing Julia, and she has moved with her partner, Francis (Karl Glusman), to a country she is completely unfamiliar with. She hasn't even had time to learn much, if any, of the language, so it's understandable that she feels more alone than ever while Francis gets busy with his new job. Unfortunately, Julia then starts to suspect that someone is watching her from a building across the street from them, and that someone may also be trying to follow her when she is out and about in Bucharest. Julia befriends a neighbour, Irina (Madalina Anea), but her moments of relaxation in friendly company are always offset by the tension she feels when she may be being watched again. It certainly doesn't help that the news is busy reporting about a serial killer who beheads his female victims.
Written and directed by Chloe Okuno, from a screenplay by Zack Ford, this is an impressive debut directorial feature from someone who has been honing their craft with a number of shorts over the past decade. Her 2014 short, Slut, has an interesting premise, meaning I really want to see it ASAP now, and I enjoyed her segment, "Storm Drain", in V/H/S/94. Equally comfortable with creepy moments and sudden shocks, Okuno is happy to keep building the sense of dread and discomfort on the way to a finale that delivers what you hope, but in a slightly unexpected way.
Monroe is great in the main role (but fans of her work will expect her to be great in everything anyway), and Anea is a welcome and warm presence in the film. Glusman has to be the busy, and sadly dismissive, husband, but he's not turned into an outright villain. The fact that he doesn't take his wife's concerns as seriously as she wants him to is typical of how many men can be when women voice any opinion about the world seeming a much more dangerous place from their perspective. Last, but not least, is Burn Gorman, as the neighbour who may or may not be a creepy voyeur.
A lot of Watcher plays out as you think it will, but that's not a criticism. This is solid and chilling stuff, helped enormously by having Monroe at the centre of it. It doesn't ever feel like essential viewing though, sadly, although I have seen many other people rate this as one of the best films of last year. I thought it was good, boosted by that inevitable commentary underpinning everything, but I wouldn't rush to rewatch it.
7/10
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