MOVIE: I See You (2019)

I See You

Directed by Adam Randall

Starring Helen Hunt, Jon Tenney, Judah Lewis, Owen Teague, Libe Barber, Gregory Alan Williams

Bankside Films/Head Gear Films/Kreo Films/Zodiac Features 2019

Following the disappearance of a small boy, the investigating officer and his family are affected by a series of strange happenings. There may be a link to a series of child disappearances some years earlier, but matters are further complicated by the infidelity of the officer's wife, and the couple's attempts at reconciliation.

This is one smart little chiller-thriller, its first half cranking up an unnerving atmosphere, leaving you wondering how it can sustain it for the second half.

The thing is, the film doesn't sustain it. In fact, it wilfully changes tack completely in the most surprising manner, putting a totally different complexion on the events of the first half. Character motivations are revealed to be nothing like they may have seemed, the true source of some of the stranger phenomena is unexpected and it's a chilling reveal when we learn the identity of the true villian of the piece.

We don't get to find out fully what has happened in the child abductions (past and present), but Devon Graye's screenplay leaves enough scraps of detail scattered around for us to fill in the gaps and go to some very dark places.

Perhaps not one for those looking for a quick horror fix, the more patient viewer will be amply rewarded. Deftly structured and executed, with all-round excellent performances, I See You kept me hooked and wrong-footed in equal measure right to the end, and is certainly one of my favourite releases of the past year.