Nominated for the Critics' Week award at the horror cinema, using its supernatural elements to tell a story with a subtext that lends itself to multiple interpretations, ranging from sexuality and venereal diseases to guilt and humiliation. It's the kind of movie that stays with you days after you've seen it, and one that we will undoubtedly refer to as a classic in a few years.
Imagine a movie like the classic Rear Window, but from the perspective of the person being watched... and the person doing the watching from the other side of the window could be a killer. That's how we could summarize Watcher, a psychological thriller starring Maika Monroe (It Follows) that had a great response at film festivals like Sundance and SXSW. The story follows a young woman (Monroe) who moves with her husband (Karl Glusman) to Romania when he's relocated there for work. Alone for most of the day in an unfamiliar country and with a language she doesn't understand, she gradually becomes more paranoid about the presence of the voyeur at the window, as well as a wave of recent murders. Director Chloe Okuno creates an oppressive psychological atmosphere for her protagonist, masterfully handling the camera and spaces to gradually reveal the crucial elements that provoke and maintain tension.
Longlegs is a horror thriller directed by Osgood "Oz" Perkins, known for works like Nicolas Cage). The investigation, however, leads her to uncover a sinister secret rooted in her past. Longlegs maintains a contemplative, slow pace, creating dark, oppressive, and hypnotic imagery to forge a disturbing atmosphere that echoes its themes of deep moral and familial corruption. The script weakens starting in the second act, and Nicolas Cage is as polarizing as ever. However, Perkins offers a sensory experience that departs from cheap thrills and mundane jump scares (and which is much more impactful in a movie theater).