Watcher - 2022
The continuing story of Maika Monroe being incredible in indie horror films where unknown entities chase her around and people don't buy a word she's saying...
Watcher is an interesting picture. On the one hand, it is pretty exquisitely well made. All the mise en scene, the blocking and staging of shots, are on point. The actors inhabit these cramped spaces well and the tone is consistently sinister. Chloe Okuno is doing a lot with a little here, and her craft is on full display.
On the other hand, the film falls decidedly flat in the arena of twists and reveals. (Some might even call it boring). After a period of reflection, I am beginning to believe this was her intent all along. See, Watcher works best not as a thriller but a cautionary tale (or some sledgehammer-necessary commentary) about a woman dismissed and ignored by all the people who love her and/or exist to protect her. I am not a female and therefore have never had such an experience. But with Watcher, Ms. Okuno hid a truthbomb about how harrowing an ordeal like that can be inside of another, slightly elevated stalker flick.
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