At first, Adam Randall’s I See You is a creepy little psychological horror that feels on the cusp of becoming something close to Hereditary. Then, the film switches perspective and instead of having a creepy film built on suspense and the element of the unknown, we end up with a muddled mess of a film that is trying ever so hard to be clever but falls flat on its face. I See You feels like an mid-season episode of American Horror Story – and that isn’t a compliment.
The film feels bloated, and crushing under the weight of its own ambition. It also seems oddly quite long and dragged out in places, despite having a barely ninety minute runtime. More importantly it’s deliberately confusing for the sheer sake of it. Perhaps, the writer (Devon Graye) intended for the audience to go away and discuss this film at great length. But we care very little for the characters that even whilst writing this review I am struggling to recall their names.
There’s nothing worse than a film trying too hard to deliver a killer twist, especially when the twist is obvious. It is clear that Graye is still trying to find his footing as a writer. But maybe he is trying too hard to outsmart his audience and is sacrificing good storytelling in the process.
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The film is set in an all American town, which could be anywhere-ville USA. The opening establishing shots are foreboding, full of dread as we follow twelve-year-old Justin Whitter on his bike ride home through the woods, the camera stalking him. Without, warning Justin is pulled off his bike by what seems like an invisible force.
Justin isn’t the first boy to go missing. Nearly fifteen years ago, the town was struck by a series of gruesome kidnappings and murders. Which brings me to my first issue. Surely, if the town has already encountered this issue before, then why were children allowed to ride home through the woods without any adults questioning this?
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It is up to Greg Harper (Jon Tenney), the lead investigator on the case, to find the missing boy. However, Harper is currently struggling to balance the pressures of the investigation and finding a way to forgive his wife, Jackie (Helen Hunt), for a recent affair with an old high-school fling. Coupled with their son’s Connor (Judah Lewis) recent behaviour, the family seems to be at breaking point. Unbeknownst to them, there are strange going-ons in their household, with cutlery going missing, voices in the attic being heard late at night, and the TV mysteriously switching itself on. Has an evil force made itself at home in the Harper household?
The film should be praised for its strong first act. The gradual setting up of this dysfunctional household, the tension between Greg and Jackie, and the build-up of bizarre incidents that could be perceived as paranormal incidents. However, the film’s effectiveness in building up this feeling of dread and horror quickly unravels when the film switches in tone and switches characters. Perhaps, this could have been more effective in a television format with the narrative broken up over 6 episodes.
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It may have even been more effective as a novel. There are certainly elements of this film that remind the view of an above average Stephen King novel: the seemingly innocent small town with a dark secret, a strained family, and a mysterious unseen force tormenting this family. However, the film feels too rushed and eager to show-off just how clever it is at subverting our expectations. The overall feeling of the writing is that this is the first draft of what could be a great film.
The film’s strengths lie in Hunt and Tenney’s performances, although in the second half of the film Hunt is pretty much absent from the picture. It is a shame that we don’t see more development of their characters. The haunting score by William Arcane helps to keep us at the edge of our seats, being paired effectively by Philipp Blaubach prowling camera work. Still, it’s not enough to help keep this picture afloat. I See You promises us so much, but in the end it just can’t deliver.
