Watcher is a movie that falls into one of two categories. It is either a movie you’ve never heard of, or it’s one you’ve not only heard of but have probably seen. Chloe Okuno’s (V/H/S/94, screenwriter of Bodies Bodies Bodies) revered, suspenseful stalker film already has a cult following among the “this could happen to you” film buffs. It is undoubtedly a film that needs to be watched in the right environment (dark, quiet, isolated) to hit on one of humanity’s most innate fears, the unnerving feeling of being followed. It also needs time to develop. That’s not so much to say that it is a slow burn as much as it is an “it won’t hit on all cylinders” if you aren’t willing to go all-in with it from the opening credits.

Julia (Maika Monroe –Honey Boy, It Follows), a beautiful young woman, has followed her husband, Francis (Karl Glusman – Greyhound, Nocturnal Animals), from New York City to Bucharest, Romania, following a company assignment (We know that Francis works in the business industry, but that is as specific as Watcher gets about his job or project). In a country where she doesn’t speak the native language, with a husband working long hours at the office, Julia spends most of her time alone in her new apartment.

Francis is familiar with Romanian, stemming from his childhood and his mother’s fluency with the language. A failed actress, Julia doesn’t have many other skills to fall back on. She spends much of her time alone trying to learn the native language or familiarize herself with the city. However, she feels isolated and alone, emotions that are only exasperated by the hours Francis spends away from home, where he’s thriving in his vocation. She spends much time (especially at night when she cannot sleep) gazing out of her living room’s wall-size picture window. One night, she realizes she is being watched by a man (Burn Gorman (Crimson Peak, Pacific Rim) in one of the buildings across the street. The eeriness continued from one night to the next when this silhouette was present each time she looked out her window. Julia’s paranoia soon gets the best of her. The obsessive fear of feeling like she’s being watched all too soon transitions into a perception that she is being followed. She brings some of this upon herself when she attempts to validate whether her unsettling intuitions are true, going so far as to acquaint herself with individuals in her building and some in the building where this perceived watcher lives. Her exhaustive, wild mind leads her to the point where she believes her paranoia is true, even when her discoveries prove false.

I won’t try to explore what a woman might feel if she believes she is being watched or followed. I am aware that there are differences in the woman’s experience than the man’s if for no other reason than a man is typically physically stronger, bringing a more intimidating presence. In addition, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Violence Against Women Report, an estimated 91% of victims of rape & sexual assault are female and 9% male. Nearly 99% of perpetrators are male. Ignoring such a disproportionate statistic or disputing its relevance would be ignorant and detestable.

I also won’t try to explore what a person living in a country without a native language might feel. I once spent two weeks in a country (one week in Cancun, Mexico, and one week in Tijuana, Mexico) where English was not the primary language. In each of those cases, I was with English-speaking Americans and in locations where English was spoken as prominently as Spanish (Cancun), or at least a few of the people I was with spoke English and Spanish fluently (Tijuana).

However, I had felt the fear of being watched/followed (mostly when driving and monitoring, through the rearview mirror, someone directly behind me taking the same turns as me while never attempting to pass me, despite my efforts to slow down). However, never have one of those times proved to be anything more than fear. Despite cautionary tales ever since I was a young child, only on the scarce occasion did I feel insecure in an environment where my demographic (race, age, gender,  etc.) was different than, perhaps, the majority of wherever I was. Even when it was clear that I was either a tourist or someone who didn’t know the lay of the land, I felt fear in extreme cases (such as finding myself in an area that looked instantly different than it had even sixty seconds ago).

It’s easy to see why Watcher has earned a cult following so quickly. It builds an entire plot around a fear that we all have experienced at least once, in some fashion. With its eerie score and dark tonal elements that never make us feel comfortable, Watcher puts us front and center with Julia as she tries to appease her suspicions that begin to manifest as delusions.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 7.5/10
Character Chemistry 7.5/10
Acting 8.5/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing  8/10
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 9.5/10
Hook and Reel 7.5/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
84.5%

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