Fans of Maika Monroe should flock to Watcher. Very similar in tone and pacing to her other popular horror performance in It Follows, Maika excels as an innocent American in Bucharest concerned she is under the watchful eye of a serial killer.
Having moved to Bucharest to support her husband and his job, Maika’s character Julia finds herself often home alone. She can’t help but notice the man that stares at her from the building across the way. Add to it news of a serial killer which populates the papers and television, and Julia has a hard time shaking what she sees of the man behind the window.
With many allusions to Rear Window and DePalma-like visuals, Watcher has slow deliberate pacing, yet it keeps us on our toes. A viewer can’t help but become just as frustrated as Maika Monroe’s character while she considers whether this Peeping Tom has ill intentions. In Watcher, Director Chloe Okuno chooses not to show English captions while many characters surrounding Julia speak native Romanian, a choice that puts us directly in the lead’s shoes. We feel the same concern and confusion as Julia while she tries to interpret what others are saying around her.
Enter Madeline Anea as Irina, a neighbor, who extends an olive branch to Maika and appears the only grounded and calming character in the whole effort. A direct contrast to other characters, like the landlord, and the crazy lady and her missing cat, who constantly add to Julia’s lack of trust.
Her husband, played deftly (and handsomely) by Karl Glusman, is also no help, spending many hours at work and, although empathetic, encourages her to simply disassociate from the lurking man and ignore his presence.
When Irina suddenly disappears, Julia’s hackles are up, and the whole film takes a twisty turn to reveal what is truly taking place. Chloe Okuno and Zack Ford’s writing help Watcher feel unpredictable, disconcerting, yet it also delivers a satisfying conclusion.
If you enjoyed It Follows, you will notice many similarities. But rather than feel derivative, Watcher is a stand alone nightmare that might have you taking a closer look at your neighbors.
