Watcher

Starring: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman, Madalina Anea

Director: Chloe Okuno

Julia (Monroe) and her husband Francis (Glusman) are looking for a fresh start in Bucharest after he accepts a job there. While it is a return to his homeland, Julia feels adrift and alone and spends most of her time alone in their large apartment or wandering the streets. One night while she can't sleep, she notices a man (Gorman) watching her from the apartment across the street. She doesn't really think much of it until she finds out there is a serial killer on the loose, decapitating women. As her paranoia grows, Julia begins to see the man following her everywhere and becomes convinced he is the killer. While her husband believes her at first, she soon finds it hard to convince anyone as there is no evidence against the man, and Julia herself begins to look like a stalker. Is Julia's paranoia unfounded or is there more to her neighbor than meets the eye?

This is a fantastic paranoid thriller, anchored by a towering performance from Monroe that climaxes in a very effective and terrifying way. While most thrillers like this fail due to poor execution, Watcher grabs you from the beginning, slowly tightens its grip, and never lets up.

The movie is a very slow burn but that works so well in its favor, allowing Julia’s paranoia and fear to grow naturally and draw us into her mindset. The most effective, yet simple, are the scenes of Julia staring out the window and seeing what she believes to be her unwanted watcher. While those scenes are unsettling enough already, it will absolutely curdle your blood when the watcher waves back.

As I mentioned, this movie culminates in a thrilling and very satisfying way. Without giving away anything, all I can say is that writer/director Chloe Okuno’s film brilliantly plays on your assumptions and still finds a way to surprise you in the end. Yes there are many familiar plot points, like the disbelieving husband or the lead getting gaslit, but it’s wrapped in a plot that feels real and relevant to today's world that it’s hard not to get caught up in its spell. It’s a testament to the writing that you can never quite figure out where it is headed.

Maika Monroe is an incredibly talented actress (It Follows, The Guest) and this might be her best performance. If this doesn’t catapult her into the stratosphere of leading ladies I don’t know what will. She effortlessly brings us into Julia’s story and always has us on her side. Burn Gorman is menacing as her potential stalker as well, bringing the appropriate amount of menace to the most innocent of scenes.

I was always on the edge of my seat and I highly recommend seeking out this timely little gem.

Grade: A-